


Demand:The Secret of Unit 919

by SunShade878



Category: Nevermoor Series - Jessica Townsend
Genre: Based off of Wundersmith:The Calling of Morrigan Crow., Jack's a double agent for the unit, Jupiter is...different, Nevermoor will change forever, Unit 919 disappear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:53:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunShade878/pseuds/SunShade878
Summary: What if the demands weren't made by the the Elders? What if Lambeth wasn't a princess? What if the unit was truly being blackmailed in order to do questionable things in order to keep Morrigan's secret safe? What if one of the demands... was to disappear from their outside family and friends? What if more dark and mysterious forces were at play? And what if, meanwhile, Jupiter's sanity was slipping? So many questions, and yet so few answers. This will be a Nevermoor fanfic that you won't soon forget!
Comments: 20
Kudos: 39





	1. Demand #57

**Author's Note:**

> I was always iffy when it came to the demand side plot of Nevermoor's sequel Wundersmith. I felt like it could be explored deeper than just a loyalty test designed by the Elders. Now, i can show you all my personal vision of what could've happened. Of course I'll take suggestions, but only if they can be smoothly incorperated in the fanfiction. And please remember that I'm not an experienced author, although I would like to be one one day. Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy a bunch of 'what ifs'!

Demand:The Secret of Unit 919

*This book takes place in Wundersmith. In this book, The Elders aren’t the ones sending 919 these demands. Morrigan never told anyone she was a Wundersmith.Lambeth isn’t a princess The demands have been going on for at least three years now*

Chapter 1-Demand #57

Morrigan Crow, junior scholar of the Wundrous Society,was absolutely livid. In her hands was a crisp piece of paper with gold embroidering its edges. It felt like fire in her 14 year old palm. With a grunt,she unfolded the letter to reveal...yet another demand. For the past few years, Unit 919 had been receiving mysterious demands that would be taped to the door of whichever student it was assigned to. Today just so happened to be Morrigan’s turn.

She had been having such a good day until now. First, she had been woken up to the sweet smell of warm pancakes with maple syrup and a plate of various fruits. Next, Dame Chanda, a fellow WS member, had given Morrigan a beautiful purple gown with a black net covering the section below the net. Lastly, her patron, Jupiter North, had promised her and her Unit mates a trip to the Annual Spring Fest-a party celebrating Nevermoor’s most beautiful plants-the very next day. Everything had been going so well until this very moment. When Morrigan had entered through her ebony black magic door into her unit’s personal train station. Her unit members had given her looks of concern and pity, while her closest friends, Hawthorne Swift and Cadence Blackburn, were pacing the tiled floors of the station. 

Before Morrigan could ask what the heck was going on, Thaddea, another unit member, slowly lifted up the piece of paper and gave it to Morrigan. The letter 

Morrigan Odelle Crow,

Secretly ruin Maid Martha’s special treats for The 

Spring Fest before the party starts. 

Do as we say, or we will reveal the Secret of Unit 919

A firefly is dim in the day.

It thrives at night.

Morrigan gritted her teeth.

Martha had told her stories of her life before Hotel Deucalion, their home. Apparently, Martha had a hard time earning money for her family. Because of that, Martha relied on her top notch baking skills to get where she is today. After she was picked by Jupiter to become a maid at the hotel, her family had earned piles of money, although not enough for her siblings to go to college, and for her parents to retire.

Martha had gossiped with Morrigan yesterday that even though she was a great baker, not one high class citizen of Nevermoor had tasted her treats. “I’ll tell ya Mog”, she said. “If even one of those rick folk tastes my goodies, business will be booming”!

Morrigan swallowed. If she went through with this, almost everything Martha and her family had worked for would go down the drain.She might never be able to reach that high again.

_ I can’t do this,  _ Morrigan though.  _ Not to her. _ She was about to say the same thing to her friends when she turned around, but stopped. There they stood, heads held high, shoulders back, ready to accept whatever Morrigan decided to do.

It was then that Morrigan thought back to all the demands leading up to this very moment, that weren’t hers. Thaddea had risked her honor when she lost to the weakest boy in her wrestling match. Hawthorne and Cadence risked their places in the society when they ruined Wunsoc property. Francis had spent all of his free time baking impossible treats just to keep Morrigan safe. All of them had risked so much for her.

And then there was the underlying threat of Morrigan’s identity as a Wundersmith being leaked to not only the people of Nevermoor, but all across The Seven Pockets. Everyone she knew, everyone she cared about, would face unimaginable danger. The world outside Nevermoor, including Jackalfax, would not only demand answers, but would try to find her by any means necessary. Morrigan knew that it was inevitable for a Wundersmith to have enemies who want her power for themselves. Also, she was sure a powerful being like herself would have scientists chasing her left and right, trying to uncover the science of Wunder.

“Morrigan”, a voice pierced through the air, dripping with pity. “Morrigan, you don’t have to go through with this”. The voice belonged to Anah, of all people. A girl who used to be so scared of Morrigan, that she would run every time she came to talk to her. That was, until a year ago,when Anah finally decided that enough was enough, apologized to Morrigan, and became another close friend.

Morrigan looked up at Anah, smiling slightly before folding up the letter and putting it in her dress pocket. “No, I have to”.

_ Honk! Honk!  _ Morrigan and her unit members heard the roaring honk of their train as it slowed to a stop in front of them. The large side door opened to reveal Unit 919’s instructor, Miss Cheery, gliding out of the train. 

“Come now, lovelies”, Miss Cheery sang joyfully as she twirled a stray piece of fabric from a scarf around her neck. “Wunsoc awaits”! 

As Morrigan stepped into the train, she felt a set of eyes watching her every move,like a hawk. She turned to see if any of her unit members wanted to say something to her, but was immediately caught off guard when she noticed that she wasn’t the only one who felt the odd sensation. All of her unit members stood in the train, eyes wide, mouths trembling. Morrigan wanted to say something, to scream,to yelp, to do anything to get Miss Cheery’s attention, however she felt an invisible hand clamp her mouth shut. It weighed heavily on her mouth, and felt so hot Morrigan felt like she was going to burn. It didn’t take long for Morrigan to realize that the rest of Unit 919 felt the same. Thaddea, who’s knack was fighting, slowly laid on a soft plump chair and drifted off to sleep. Lambeth, a short-range oracle, clutched her head tightly and bit her bottom lip, trying not to scream. It wasn’t until Miss Cheery had entered the train and shut the door, that the invisible hand lifted itself from Morrigan’s face. A wave of cool wind flew through her body, erasing anything left of the deadly force.

Unit 919 silently sat on plush seats and blankets, now fully aware that whomever was sending those letters were serious about their endless threats. They could’ve done anything in that moment. Yell, thrash beneath the hot grip of the invisible hand, but instead, they looked out the train windows with heavy hearts, dreading The Spring Fest.

* * *

An uneasy feeling crept into Morrigan’s mind as she exited the train and stood in front of the door in the station leading to her bedroom. It felt wrong to enter it, like she was committing an unforgivable sin. Morrigan shook her head,determined to get this over with. She turned to her unit members before leaving, nodding her head to say that she would go through with everything on the paper, and exited the station. 

Morrigan felt a rush of dread as she entered her ever changing bedroom,but pushed the feeling deep down inside her. If she was feeling any form of panic, she knew damn well that her bedroom would mirror that panic the next time she stepped in. Instead of moping, she headed to her bathroom for a shower to calm her nerves. After exiting the shower wrapped in a large towel, Morrigan peered into her ballroom-sized closet. She smiled at the large array of dresses, skirts, shoes, and handbags that were lined up along hangers and shelves. The dresses and bags were mostly purple, black, grep and blue, while the shoes were of all sorts of dark and light colors.

Morrigan passed the shelves, however, and reached for her new dress, which stood hanging near the very end of the room which Morrigan called the ’favorite’ section. The fabric felt cool to the touch and relaxed Morrigan to the point where she almost forgot what she had to do before putting it on. Almost. With a huff, she set the new dress back up and instead took a black and grey dress with floral fabric layered on top, along with grey leggings. 

Morrigan sat in front of her vanity and brushed her long black hair with a silver brush until it was a s soft as silk. Brushing her hair relaxed her. It made her feel perfect in her not-so-perfect environment. 

As she set down her brush, Morrigan stared into the mirror, still not pleased with the girl staring back at her. This girl had large bags under her eyes. Her cheeks were red with shame. Her shoulders felt heavy, like a boulder was holding them in place. 

“You have to do this Morrigan”, she told her reflection. “So much is at stake. And besides, you’re not the only person involved in all this. You and your friends are in this together”.

She couldn’t let Jupter or Jack see her like this. She knew the uncle and his nephew would at least be able to see a cloud wavering over her head. So because of that, she would at least have to come up with an excuse.

_ Shouldn’t be too hard,  _ Morrigan thought.  _ You’ve been hiding this whole operation for at least three years now. _

After giving herself a pep talk, Morrigan opened her bedroom door and walked downstairs, trying to choose a believable facial expression. She settled for a calm smile that wavered ever so slightly. 

The hotel was bustling with guests exploring the hotel with wide eyes. Morrigan smiled as she remembered the first time she had entered the hotel. Fenestra had tried to eat her.

As Morrigan made her way to the dining room, she spotted Martha happily cleaning up after a couple of guests. Her short brown hair danced while she moved. Her gleaming smile lit the large room even though above her stood a giant chandelier. 

_ Martha may never smile like that again,  _ Morrigan thought before walking up to the housemaid. Martha beamed as Morrigan came towards her and hastily picked up the rest of the dishes.

“Ms. Morrigan”, she chirped, presenting a broad smile. “So very good to see you! How was school today”?

Morrigan wavered a bit before answering. Truth be told, she felt a nauseating knot in her stomach. Nonetheless, she pushed it aside to conceal her long time facade. “Oh, things have been wonderful Martha! Do you need help with anything”?

Martha rolled her eyes jokingly and said, “I can handle this Ms. Morrigan, don’t you worry one bit”.

Morrigan nodded and watched her walk toward the kitchen after waving her goodbye. For the first time in a while, she felt content with everything around her. However, she knew that the hotel’s atmosphere would change soon enough. 

After a long afternoon filled with homework and tea, it was time for bed. However, Morrigan wasn’t going to be sleeping for awhile. After making sure to consume unthinkable amounts of caffeine, she waited until her clock struck midnight before slowly getting out of bed. She then walked toward her magic door ever so quietly, being as quiet as a mouse.

Morrigan then put her thumb to a small golden circle in the middle of the door, and slowly opened it. The door must’ve understood her silent pleas, because not one creak could be heard.

Morrigan entered the dimly lit train station with caution, bracing herself just in case she spotted the mystery person,(or people), who was giving her and her friends these troublesome demands. Instead, her two best friends, Cadence and Hawthorne, sat on a small bench near the train tracks, whispering nervously.

“Psst”, Morrigan made a sound, alerting her friends of her presence. “It’s me”. Cadence shot up from her seat, remembered to be quiet, then slowly walked over to her. Hawthorne sat carrying a plastic bag, clutching it like his life depended on it. 

“Took you long enough”, Cadence murmured. “We were getting worried”. Morrigan looked from her, to Hawthorne, and back to her. “You guys are going to… help me”? She said the last two words hesitantly. 

“Yep”, Cadence nodded. “Nothing in any of the letters prohibits us from helping each other complete the task”. Morrigan thought it over. It was true, in none of the demands had these mysterious people forbid us from helping each other. It must be fine. It had to be.

She nodded slowly at Cadence before leaning toward Hawthorne. “Thanks for coming”, she smiled. Hawthorne smiled back and stood up from his seat. “No way I’m letting ya do this alone”. Morrigan smiled. “So...what’s in the bag”? Hawthorne grinned mischievously. “Paradise”.

Morrigan, Hawthorne, and Cadence went through Morrigan’s door and slowly walked down to the first floor kitchen. The three schoors passed through the large ornate kitchen, the lingering smell of pastries filling the air. 

At once, the three scholars stopped in front of two double doors. There wasn’t a single doubt in Morrigan’s mind that the pastries were being kept in The Royal Sect room, a large room filled with foods and drinks for the fabulously wealthy and rich. Before Hawthorne touched the doorknob, Morrigan stopped him. Exasperated, she reached into her pockets and took out three pairs of gloves. Black, of course. 

Hawthorne grinned sheepishly before putting on the mask and opening the door. 

Upon entering the room, the three junior scholars were hit with the smells of delectable pastries, cookies, and cakes. The Royal Sect was truly something to behold. It was a large, gold colored room with shining silver pedestals lined along the edges. Sitting atop each pedestal were large groups of Martha’s delectable sweets, crystal lids encasing them. She had baked flaky pastries with sweet fillings, Dollops of cream topped with sugar and fruit, large, detailed flower chocolates, and so much more.

Morrigan heard herself whimper. Oh, how long it must have taken Martha to make even a small batch of these sweets…

“Hey, Mog”, Hawthorne whispered loudly. “You still with us”? Morrigan looked toward Hawthorne, who was standing near a pedestal holding a three-tiered cake with chocolate glaze frosting. 

“Y-yeah”, Morrigan stuttered. She held her breath as she fought with her mind, pleading with it to not go through with this demand. The other part of her knew the immediate consequences of not completing the task, and told her that this was the only way to truly keep her loved ones safe.

She heard a rustling sound and turned hastily, expecting to see A wide eyed Jupiter or a tear stricken Martha, when she found that it was just Cadence opening Hawthorne’s mysterious plastic bag. She heaved a sigh of relief and watched as she reached in, and pulled out a small purse.

Morrigan, clearly annoyed, looked back at Hawthorne, who proudly walked towards the girls.

Cadence grunted “How is this going to help us out”? Hawthorne just smiled and grabbed the purse out of Cadence’s grasp. “You’ll see”.

Before Morrigan could ask what he meant, Hawthorne slowly lifted the lid off of the pedestal holding the three tiered cake, and managed to stuff the entire cake into the purse, leaving no trace of frosting. 

It took everything Morrigan had to not loudly shriek at the sight before her. “How”, she whispered. “How did it do that”?

Hawthorne smiled proudly. “It's a shrinking purse that I made at summer camp for a crafting contest”! Morrigan was the first out of her and Cadence to quietly chuckle. "I;m surprised crafting isn't your knack". Hawthorne gave her a pondering look. "Its more of a hobby, really. Now, come quickly. We've got to get this done as fast as we can". 

For the next fifteen minutes, the three junior scholars took the lid off of every batch of pastries Martha had made, and chucked them down the purse. Morrigan felt awful, but she knew she couldn’t play the victim anymore since she was letting this happen. So instead, she concentrated on helping Cadence lift heavy lids off pedestals.

After they finished cleaning out the room, Morrigan, Hawthorne, and Cadence leaned against the back wall. Morrigan panted, her face feeling hot after not taking even one minute of rest. Hawthorne pat her on the back and placed the purse back into the plastic bag.

After a quick rest, Cadence stretched out her arms and legs, holding back a yawn. “Well, me and Hawthorne should really get going, you too, Mog”. Morrigan smiled, tired out of her mind. She got up from her seat while Hawthorne and Cadence stretched a bit more. 

Once Morrigan closed The Royal Sect’s door shut, Hawthorne and Cadence took off their gloves and gave them to Morrigan. The three of them slowly ascended up the stairs and filed into Morrigan’s room. Morrigan gripped the door handle and slowly, but surely,closed her bedroom door. Cadence sighed. “Well, see you guys in the morning”. Hawthorne nodded. “Yeah, take care of yourself okay Mog”? Morrigan smiled kindly. “Right back at ya”. With that, Hawthorne and Cadence walked into the train station while she closed the door behind them.

A lump formed in her throat as she laid on her bed, trying her best to sleep. Her eyes felt heavy, but she still couldn’t close them. After a while, Morrigan stopped trying to fall asleep and instead, looked up at the ceiling. 

She had done it. Morrigan Crow had just ruined Martha’s career as a baker. Now she would only be known as ‘Martha the maid’. It sounded cute, in Morrigan’s opinion, but it did her talents as a baker no justice. 

She breathed softly, letting each breath strain for just a few moments. 

_ At least everybody’s safe, _ she thought, feeling just a wee bit hopeful. 

_ Safe for now, at least. _

As Morrigan Crow finally drifted off to sleep, she couldn’t help but imagine the faces of the Deucalion staff once they found out what happened to all of Martha’s hard work, as well as the disappointed faces the people of Nevermoor, The Wundrous Society, and of her patron, Jupiter North,(who was now out on an expedition with the League of Explorers), if they ever found out what Unit 919 had been doing behind everyone’s backs. She groaned. 

  
  
  


_ Squall, wherever you are right now, I hope you’re enjoying my pity party, because I’m not letting you, or anyone else, see me like this ever again. Not while I live.  _


	2. Chapter 2:The Spring Fest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter for my fanfiction! I just wanted to also say that if you um...ship jupiter x morriga, that you kindly get off my page. One of them is an adult, and one is a literal child. I can confirm that Morrigan will have an age increase, but not for shipping reasons. Also, I will use my ENTIRE being to make it clear to you all that they purely have a father-daughter relationship. Again, you ship Morijup(literally the only understandable ship name for these two...), please exit my page

Morrigan had leapt out of bed the moment light seeped through her window. She straightened out her long, gray nightgown and yawned. Yesterday’s demand was still ingrained in her mind while she dressed herself in a blue long-sleeved shoulder cut dress with black leggings.  
As she brushed her hair, Morrigan heard a sharp clatter behind her magic door. Curious, she put her ear to the door and listened in, occasionally looking through the keyhole. She was stupidly hoping for a glimpse of whoever was giving Unit 919 these frivolous demands.   
Morrigan sucked in her breath as she saw black fabric waving in the air, walking towards her door. The wearer of this fabric squatted down and looked through the keyhole.   
The two made eye contact.   
Morrigan wanted to move, to open the door and pounce on whoever was making her quake in fear. Despite wanting to move, she stayed, glued to the door as she breathed slowly.  
To her anger, she heard a deep chuckle from behind the door. It sounded low , keeping her to the ground.   
Morrigan was about to stand up, but was caught off guard when the figure spoke in a cold, low voice that dripped with triumph. “I can’t wait to watch today’s performance”. Then, in a puff of black smoke, the figure was gone, leaving a throaty laugh behind it.  
Great way to start the day, Morrigan thought to herself. She found it hard to breath as she opened her bedroom door and slowly walked downstairs, clutching the railing like her life depended on it.   
She heard excited cheers and laughter as she entered the dining room. Morrigan breathed deeply, swallowing bile down her throat. She walked to the breakfast buffet table and proceeded to pile her plate with two small pancakes, maple syrup, fruits, and scrambled eggs. She then walked to the drink dispenser and got herself a glass of apple juice.   
She sat alone at the table closest to the kitchen and tried to push yesterday’s activities to the deepest, darkest corners of her mind. Luckily, Martha wouldn’t have time until after Morrigan, Jupiter, Jack, and the rest of Unit 919 left for the festival to check and load her sweets. She wouldn’t have to feel guilty before leaving the hotel.   
Just then, Jack Korrapati, Jupiter’s nephew, entered the room with a big smile on his face. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on Morrigan, who straightened up. She looked into his questioning eyes while planting a grin on her porcelain face.   
Even without his knack, Jack could be very perceptive. He walked toward Morrigan with a curious expression on his face.  
Morrigan’s whole body went cold. He can’t know, she thought. He just can’t!  
“Can’t know what”,asked Jack. To Morrigan, Jack sounded as if his voice was at the far end of a long tunnel. Nevertheless, she sat upright and smiled.  
“Hey Jack”, she waved. She waited for a response from her patron’s nephew with distress threatening to seep through her fabricated smile.   
Jack nodded warily, making it obvious that he knew something was up.

As if she had rehearsed it multiple times, Morrigan started methodically cutting her pancakes and plopped a piece in her mouth. She pretended to feel at ease while silently knowing she was being stared at.   
“Is something wrong”? Morrigan asked Jack with an innocent smile. She brushed her long, silky black hair to the side and tilted her head playfully. 

“N-n-nope”, Jack stammered, baffled by Morrigan’s sudden change in attitude. “Everything’s fine, Mog”.   
It seemed as if Jack wasn’t the only person noticing Morrigan’s attitude change. Hotel staff kept their eyes trained on the normally indifferent teen as they went about their duties. Even recurring customers ate their breakfasts in silence as they watched the conversation with eager eyes.   
Stupid, Morrigan thought to herself. You know you’re not good at acting.  
Jack then gave Morrigan a knowing smile. “I know what this is about”. He relaxed onto the plush seat next to her and laid back onto the velvet cushion. Morrigan felt a lump form in the back of her throat. “Oh”? She tried to seem relaxed, but in truth, was absolutely terrified. She cleared her throat,suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.  
“Yep”, Jack nodded. He leaned toward her and whispered. “You had another nightmare, didn’t you”? Morrigan found this answer extremely unexpected, but was relieved.   
“Yep”, she agreed. “I just thought that if I kept things to myself, they would go away”.  
“Oh Mog”, Jack sighed. “You should tell me about your nightmares so I can make you feel better”.  
Morrigan gave her friend a small smile before going back to her breakfast. She suddenly felt full after that unnerving conversation, but heaved a heavy sigh and proceeded to neatly eat her food as if it was just another morning at Hotel Deucalion.   
“Why are you forcing yourself to eat”, Jack asked her abruptly. Morrigan closed her eyes, and for a split second, everything was fine. She didn’t have to keep her guard up, she didn’t have to be what everyone else wanted her to be, and she certainly didn’t have to lie to everyone she held dear.   
When she opened her eyes, though, that’s when it all came back. The noise, the whispers, the rumors, the expectations, and little old Jack sitting next to her, not knowing the damage he was causing.  
“You okay Mog”? Jack asked. Morrigan knew he was worried. She knew he just wanted to help, and she adored him for it, but right now, she needed to be alone. She just wanted to eat her breakfast, get dressed up, and deal with the result of her demand.  
However, she answered his worries. “I’m fine, J. I’m just super excited for The Spring Fest”.  
Jack nodded slowly. It was obvious to Morrigan that he still wanted answers, but Morrigan was afraid of giving him too much information.  
He can’t find out, she thought to herself, anxiety creeping at her mind. He just can’t.

After the most agonizing breakfast of her life, Morrigan headed up to her bedroom to get ready for the day. She passed the smiling faces of hotel guests and greeted them with a grin. She waved at the staff, who seemed delighted to see her.   
Once she reached her bedroom, she collapsed onto her bed. I gotta get better at this acting thing, she thought tiredly. It hasn’t even been 11:00 and I’ve already had an interrogation.   
Morrigan stood up, dazed, and entered her bathroom to wash up for the party. After taking a hot shower, she entered her closet and took her new dress from its hanger. It felt airy to the touch, like a soft cloud. Morrigan smiled. I’ve got to repay Dame Chanda for this somehow.   
She wore the long-sleeved dress and took out a pair of black leggings to go with it. She then stepped into a pair of shiny black high heels that clicked when she walked. She proceeded to use a concealer on the vivid dark circles under her eyes while staring intently into her large vanity mirror. Morrigan smiled to herself when she realized she was actually putting in effort to look good. While giving her hair a thorough inspection, she smothered her face and hands with lotion.  
After finishing off her look with an extremely light pink blush and a rose-colored lip scrub, she stepped back from her vanity and inspected herself in the mirror. She was shocked to find that she looked absolutely gorgeous. In fact, she looked exactly like her graceful mother. At least, from what she looked like in the pictures of her Morrigan found when she was younger. 

With a whirlwind of emotions, Morrigan opened her bedroom door and once again stepped out into the hotel hallway. Come on, Morrigan Odelle Crow, she thought while taking a deep breath. You can do this. Let’s just get this over with and get back.  
Morrigan walked over to the reception desk and greeted Kedgeree, whose mouth was wide open.”Well, Ms. Crow, don’t you clean up nice”! Morrigan smiled shyly. “Thank you, Ked. Please tell Dame Chanda that her seamstress deserves a raise”. “Sure thing, Ms. Crow”, Kedgeree nodded while tipping his hat. He then stood behind the reception desk and the two waited for Jupiter and Jack to finish up.   
Morrigan smiled as Jupiter walked down a fleet of stairs, dressed in a mint green suit paired with an orange tie and pants. His ginger hair was slicked back with the help of a heaping amount of hair gel. He was followed by Jack, who was dressed in a maroon jacket suit and black pants. He wore his black eye patch, which controlled his knack, and made low strides in a pair of brown formal shoes.  
“You guys look great”, Morrigan exclaimed. She bounded toward Jupiter when he finished going down the stairs and trapped him in a bear hug. Jupiter laughed until he saw her dress. “Why Mog”, he said slowly, as if he was reading a complicated word. “You look…”. His voice droned on as he tried to find the words he could use to express what he was thinking.

Morrigan beamed. “I know right? Dame Chanda HAS to give her seamstress a raise-”. “Oh, Mog”, Jupiter interrupted Morrigan’s praises with a chuckle. “I wasn’t talking about the dress, I was talking about you”!  
Morrigan blushed in embarrassment. Even after living in the Hotel, she still hadn’t gotten used to people complimenting her. Or praising her. Or thanking her. Or-  
“Morrigan”, Jupiter’s voice broke her from her thoughts. She smiled brightly. “I’m fine, thank you for the compliment”. The ginger smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “Let’s show Nevermoor how it’s done at Hotel Deucalion”!   
Just as Morrigan was about to answer, she heard the voice of someone she REALLY didn’t want to lock eyes with right now. After completely masking her guilt with a feeling of excitement, she turned to find Martha leaning against the reception desk with a big smile on her face.   
“My my my, Ms. Morrigan”, she stood upright gaping at Morrigan in her new dress and accessories. “You look just beautiful”. Morrigan giggled at the amount of compliments she had been getting. “Thank you Martha”.  
Martha smiled, making Morrigan feel as if a sharp knife had just stabbed her in the back. Jupiter must’ve noticed, because he pulled Morrigan in for a hug. “Hey, hey, don’t be nervous”. He brushed a lock of her black hair to the side and patted her head. “You’ll be fine, you’ve got me, Jack, and the whole unit with you”!  
Morrigan nodded, feeling more confident now. She had to be able to trust herself to make decisions. She had to look at the bigger picture. Lingering on, ‘what ifs’ wasn’t going to help Unit 919 get through these demands. And besides… one of the primary deals her unit made was that they were restricted on performing demands that would physically hurt anyone. Martha may lose part of her status, but at least she wouldn’t be hurt.  
Let’s get this over with,Morrigan told herself as she greeted her unit members when they came through the front door. Let's get this over with. Let's get this over with. Let’s-  
“Mog”? Jupiter’s voice, filled with concern, broke her away from her thoughts. She swiftly turned to her patron and guardian. “I’m just fine Jupiter, just nervous”.  
Jupiter nodded, understanding her concern. “You’ll do great”, he told her confidently. Morrigan giggled at Jupiter’s goofy antics. They made her feel right at home.  
“Ya ready”? Hawthorne asked her as Unit 919 exited the hotel. All dressed in formal attire, they strolled through the streets of Nevermoor toward Proudfoot House, one of The Wundrous Society’s establishments,   
“Not really”, Morrigan answered honestly. She felt too tired to lie to one of her dearest friends. Archan, a unit member with a knack for pickpocketing, patted Hawthorne on the back. He straightened his blue tie and whispered, “It’ll be fine”.

* * *  
Once Unit 919, Jupiter, and Jack entered Proudfoot House’s greenhouse, they were immediately blown away. All corners of the greenhouse were lined with plants of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Green ivy hung from each window and window sill. Sunflowers danced in the cool morning air, along with bright pink and purple poppies. Long tables were lined with punch bowls, as well as assorted foods and dips. Morrigan’s group seemed to be the only group there.

Morrigan swallowed as she remembered Martha once again. She tugged at her new dress,feeling her nails burn into her palm. Her breathing quickened rapidly. Her face felt like desert sand, bathing in the hot sun.   
Thaddea must’ve noticed her hesitant face, because she rested her hand on her shoulder. “Remember why we’re doing this”, she said, no fear in her voice. The two girls looked back at the rest of their unit members. They didn’t have to say anything. They knew what each of them thought even before uttering a word. This was hard for all of them. Morrigan had to understand that.  
After a few minutes, Proudfoot House’s doors flung open, causing the unit to jolt. Martha, along with a dozen men in flashy formal suits, walked into the room, all with smiling faces. It seemed like they didn’t know about them being sabatoged yet,(since, before leaving the Royal Sect, Morrigan, Hawthorne, and Cadence filled every box and covered plate with stones).

A lump immediately formed in Morrigan’s throat, causing her to refrain from speaking. She heaved a heavy sigh and greeted Martha, who waved back and walked toward the long empty table in the back. 

Meanwhile, large crowds began to come in, covering the tiled floor with shiny, formal shoes. Morrigan heard rounds of excited cheers and murmurs, along with the nervous rattles of kids who had dreams of becoming society members.   
Morrigan turned back to Martha, who was carefully setting her covered ‘sweets’ onto the table. Her giddy smile would have sent Morrigan and any other unit member into hysteria, if not for the wary eyes of their patrons who had just come by.  
Morrigan felt the backs of her other unit members straighten as the last enclosed dish was plotted at the end of the long table. Meanwhile, the Proudfoot House doors opened once again, letting in crowds of people, as well as a group of prestigious cooks and bakers from all over the Free State. They were dressed in glistening formal gowns and tuxedos while they scanned the party room. It seemed as if they had been yearning to see something out of place.  
No worries, Morrigan thought begrudgingly. You’ll get your wish.   
As if on cue, one of the chefs had walked over to the first buffet table, piled high with beef, chickens, and various assortments of salads and dressings. She held her head high while looking across the table. “Well, congratulations Elder Quinn”, the woman spoke, obviously disappointed to have not found a single mistake. “It seems that you have truly hired the best of the best”.   
At this, Elder Quinn,-one of the Society’s three leaders for the new Age of Aristocrats-, gave a forced smile. “Why thank you, Mary Dean”. Mary Dean,(the way too confident chef), noticed Quinn’s nervousness and gave a look of triumph.  
Morrigan cringed. She had learned from when she first entered the Free State that it wasn’t that different from the Wintersea Republic, where Morrigan had lived for the first eleven years of her life. People still judged her for her flaws. They were like predators who would pounce the second she showed even the tiniest bit of wavering confidence. No matter how much she hated to admit it, Nevermoor was becoming more corrupt every passing day. She felt like she was suffocating whenever she had these kinds of thoughts. Like at any moment, her windpipe would close in on itself and give her no air to breath. Nothing to fill her aching lungs.  
Morrigan heard a rustle of fabric amidst the high volume of chatter. She looked to see Martha, as well as a small group of butlers standing over each covered dish,(which they expected to be filled with high class delicacies). Martha smiled at Morrigan, who regretfully gave her a thumbs up. She sucked in her breath, and her stomach felt cold as a crowd surrounded Martha’s table. She heard excited whispers coming from all corners of the room.

“Isn’t she that girl Martha from Hotel Deucalion”?

“Shouldn’t she be dusting a room by now”?

“I heard she’s trying to make a name for herself by baking”.

“Seriously? But what if it’s not her calling”.

“LOL, imagine if she failed”.

“I’d love to see that”.

Morrigan pushed her lips together, keeping them shut in case she tried to scream at Martha that the downfall of her would-be career was going to be her fault. But, she held her head high, scanning the scene before her. She then turned to her other unit members.  
It was obvious that the nine of them were thinking the same thing.They should be finding a way to intervene. They should be creating a distraction. They should be doing whatever it took to stop the madness that was slowly plaguing their unit. However, they all felt powerless. It was like a big boulder full of hatred and regret had been beating at their tired backs.   
Unit 919 had made their choice. It might not turn out to be the best one, but it was a choice. A choice to keep fighting in order to keep the people of Nevermoor at peace. To protect them from the dangerous entities lurking in the darkest corners of the state. Now, nothing would hold them back.  
Martha, along with the group of butlers, lifted off the covers to reveal clusters of rocks and stones covered in small dollops of frosting. Also attached to the rocks, were tiny pieces of cake. Bits of cookie dough also traced the brim of one plate.  
Morrigan heard the whispers of onlookers intensify.

“Is this supposed to be some kind of joke”?

“Oh my, is that supposed to be a cake”?

“How lazy, it seems like she doesn’t even care”!

“Lets try this”, Morrigan heard the hot headed Mary Dean say as she sauntered over to the plate that Martha had been standing over. She picked a small piece of cake from the plate and put it into her mouth. 

Morrigan bit her bottom lip. This was it. The big surprise. Sorry Martha.

“Bleh”! Mary exclaimed in disgust. “It tastes awful”! She turned to Martha as if she had just offended her. “Were you meaning to make a cake that tastes like a sour gummy dipped in peanut butter”?  
Martha tilted her head, genuinely confused. “I really don’t know what's going on, Ms. Dean. I haven’t made any cake like this for the party”.  
“The evidence is sitting in front of me”, Mary yelled. “It seems like all the talk of your delectable treats was all a fabricated hoax”. Martha frantically walked to Mary Dean. “Please, miss”, she begged, her voice breaking. “I really do have a talent for baking. Someone must have sabotaged my treats”.   
Mary Dean let out a hysterical laugh. “How do we know you haven’t stolen treats from more talented bakers and served them at the hotel”? She looked her in the eye accusingly. “For all we know, your entire career could be based on a lie”.  
Morrigan looked from Hawthorne, to Cadence, and back again. “Looks like it worked”, she whispered. Hawthorne sucked in a deep breath. “Yep, seems like we’ve outdone ourselves this time”.   
“Guys”, Anah whispered, tugging on Cadence’s off-the-shoulder dress. She tilted her head in the direction of a small, round table in the back of the room. Seated at the table was a tall figure draped in a long, black cloak. A large top hat covered its face, barely showing its glimmering white teeth.   
Morrigan shuddered as she remembered the figure from this morning. The one who couldn’t wait to watch the show. Morrigan felt her body grow still. She locked eyes with the figure, who motioned her over after looking to make sure no one saw.   
“Go”, Morrigan heard Thaddea whisper. “We’ll cover for you”.  
WIth a quick thank you, Morrigan made her way through the large crowd watching the debacle between Martha and Mary Dean. She squeezed between the engaged men and women and reached the small table. The table looked burnt at the edges, pieces at the brim slowly falling down. The figure’s black hand reached out and drummed its long pointy finger nails against the charred surface.   
Morrigan stood awkwardly at the table and straightened her back. She watched as a small stool escaped from the shadows like a fish emerging from water. While feeling hesitant, she felt the stool’s smooth surface before seating herself across the table from the cloaked figure.   
Before Morrigan could utter a word, the figure raised its other claw-like hand and made it sway from side to side. As the hand moved, a transparent blanket of shadows enveloped Morrigan in its grasp. The chatter from the other side of the room was slowly sounding like the echoes one would hear from the bottom of a vast ocean.   
Morrigan immediately understood what was going on. This large shadow was meant to conceal the two of them, as well as the conversation they would have.  
“So”, Morrigan said. “How did we do”? The figure tilted its head playfully while she asked it the question. She knew it might not answer, but it was worth the shot.   
To her surprise, however, the figure opened its mouth and spoke in a low, grumbled voice. It sounded so far away, like it was coming from the other end of a tunnel, yet so near, like it was sitting right next to her.  
“Impressive…”.  
Morrigan nodded her head slowly, keeping her eyes glued to the figure’s hands as if they were a creepy doll that had suddenly moved. “We did what you wanted. Here”. She pulled the demand out of her dress pocket and gave it to the figure, hands shaking violently. Amused, the figure took the paper while its hand lingered a second longer on her wrist, sending an icy shock through her body.

Morrigan quickly put her hand down. She never took her eyes off the figure, though. She stared at it like a hawk eyeing its prey with hunger.   
“Now what do you want us to do”, she asked it calmly, despite the atmosphere. She heard the figure take in a deep breath, breathing in the misty black air around it.   
Without saying anything, it folded the paper into a small triangle, and proceeded to rip it apart with frightful force. A large pile of yellowed paper now sat beside the figure in the shape of a mountain.   
Morrigan’s forehead creased in confusion. Was that what happened to the other demands after me and the unit finished them, she thought.  
She stood back up in such a force that the stool she was sitting on almost tumbled to the ground.   
“If that’s all you have to say”, she said. “Then I’ll be leaving. Send the next demand as soon as possible so we can get it over with”.   
The figure nodded and lifted its hand while moving it from side to side. Slowly, the black mist parted in the middle, letting in the light of the ballroom. Morrigan shielded her eyes from the blaring light of the crystal chandeliers that stood out against the golden floor tiles. She turned to see the figure doing the same, while letting out an exasperated grunt. “I know, right”, she said as she exited the shadowed space. “Black is much better”.  
With that, Morrigan smiled coyly , shielding the feeling of terror that threatened to come out, and turned to walk toward Jupiter. Before she started walking, however, the figure let out a chuckle. Morrigan expected it to sound hoarse while laughing. Instead, the chuckle seemed more...human.  
“Black does suit us nicely”. And with that, the blanket of shadows closed around the figure and its small table, leaving behind a clear black mist that circled around her like wind.

Morrigan inhaled a deep breath, air filling her lungs until they grew heavy. With thoughts filling her tired mind, Morrigan walked toward her unit and patron with an unfazed smile plastered on her face. She grew tense as Martha came up to her, her head low. She stared at the floor in shame.

“I am so sorry Martha”, Morrigan told her sympathetically. She, Hawthorne, and Cadence eyed each other. “It’s not your fault Ms. Morrigan”, Martha looked up and gave her a tight smile before tucking a stray hair behind her ear and walking out of Proudfoot House. She was soon followed by the group of butlers, who hid their faces, obviously embarrassed.   
“Gotta admit”, Francis whispered to the unit. “My gummy and mustard flavored cake worked wonders”. Morrigan smiled, understanding that Francis was trying to clear the air. “Yep, you did great”, she told him. “Thanks”, he said back in a tired voice.  
It was now incredibly obvious to Morrigan that these demands had really ruined her and her friends’ sleep schedules. She didn’t even know how she was able to get up in the morning.  
As Morrigan followed her unit to the snacks bar to eat away at their feelings, Morrigan gave one last look to the dimly lit corner where she had come from just now. She still felt the eyes of the figure burning in the back of her mind, like a needle was piercing the back of her skull. 

There was something about the figure that made her blood run cold. The way it looked, the mist following in its wake, the way it struck up a conversation whenever they talked…

It seemed all too familiar.


	3. Preparing to Leave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 3! I really have to thank you all for the overwhelming support you've been giving me. Its really helped my confidence as a writer. Also, I hope you all are excited for the release of Hollowpox in more than a month. Can't wait for more protective Jupidad moments!

The following Sunday was quiet. Martha had managed to work that day, but she seemed like the shell of the bubbly person she once was. As the day dragged on, Morrigan had watched as she had tried to stand up straight whenever a guest had requested for room service. She’s trying so hard, Morrigan thought with a pang of guilt.  
“Don’t worry, Mog”, a voice rang behind her. She turned to find Jack finishing up a plate of assorted fruits and vegetables while watching Martha with a look of pity. “She’ll get better. She’s Martha”.  
Morrigan nodded without answering. She was so tired that she didn’t notice Jack’s look of concern.  
“Hey, you okay”?  
Morrigan refused to turn and look at him. Her facial expressions alone made it obvious that she was doing worse that people thought.  
“Oh my god”, Jack spoke aloud while skimming over Morrigan’s face. “You have such a clumped up aura, Mog”. As a Witness, Jack could see what Morrigan was really feeling. Apparently he now saw a smooshed together clump of darkness and sludge circling around her waist and face. The disgusting substance also covered her mouth and eyes.

“That’s it”, Jack stated, his eyes filled with determination. “We’re talking about this whether you like it or not”. He grabbed Morrigan’s limp arm and dragged her to her room at an alarmingly quick pace. Morrigan struggled to keep up with him as he took long strides up the staircase to the second floor. Her small legs ached with pain as she struggled to keep up with her friend. After swerving past groups of guests, the two of them entered Morrigan’s room and plopped down on two velvet cushions.   
Jack stared into Morrigan’s ebony black eyes while seating himself in an upright position. He seemed so intent on listening…  
“Alright”, he said, leaning into the cushion. “I’m all ears”.   
Morrigan stared at the floor, making no sudden movements. She planted her feet and clenched cushion material in her fists. Her heart pounded uncontrollably while she avoided Jack’s gaze.   
Suddenly, Morrigan felt her tongue slip. She no longer felt a suffocating feeling on her face like she did whenever she wanted to tell someone about the demands. She felt loose and calm, no longer feeling hard pressure on her face. For once, her head felt cool and relaxed.   
Is it letting me tell him? Morrigan wondered to herself. She looked around her room, feeling the eerie gaze of a misty black onlooker. With a feeling of raw dread, she turned back to Jack, who nodded his head impatiently.   
Better late than never, she thought reluctantly.  
Morrigan took a deep breath, and proceeded to spill every single detail over the last few years,like an overturned bucket of water.  
“So basically me and my unit are being blackmailed by a mysterious group of people. Or things. I don’t really know. And, we have to do a bunch of stuff for them or else they’ll reveal that I’m a Wundersmith to not only the Free State, but to the whole world. And, I can’t tell anyone outside of the unit like you and Jupiter or else my secret’s out anyway. But, I feel like I’m allowed to tell you about this because I don’t feel pressure on my face, which is what happens when I’m about to do something the blackmailers don’t like. So, I think I can tell you. And, yeah”.  
Jack stared blankly at Morrigan after her rant with a look of pure shock and horror. She cringed.  
“And…”, he spoke quietly. “This has been going on for how long”? “Three years”, Morrigan answered his question immediately while looking over her shoulder every few seconds. She breathed in and out several times, air heaving into her lungs. It felt as if huge boulders had pushed onto her chest with increasing force.   
Jack nodded slowly at her answer and bit his lip. His forehead creased, dripping with worry. He then stared into Morrigan’s obsidian eyes without diverting his attention.  
“Your thoughts are a mess”, he said suddenly. Morrigan squirmed under his searching gaze. She never used to hate his or Jupiter’s Witness power before. Maybe that was because she didn’t have that much to hide until now.   
Jack leaned backward into the cushion. “Sorry”, he told her. “Habit”. Morrigan nodded her head, and was suddenly hit forcefully with the realization of what she had just done. She leapt from her seat and proceeded to scan her surroundings, searching for it. She pleaded, begged, and bargained in her head that she had only thought she was allowed to tell her friend, and that she would keep her mouth shut from now on.   
Jack stood up with a jolt after Morrigan opened her closet door and shut it immediately after peering around shelves of assorted fabrics and accessories. Just as he was about to coax her into sitting back down, a sharp knock came from Morrigan’s magic door that led to the Wunderground station. Morrigan sucked in a breath, her heart pounding in fear and confusion.   
WIthout a word or nod to Jack, she slowly made her way to the door and enveloped her hand over the brass doorknob. It felt like ice beneath her palm. She turned to her bedroom door to check if it was locked. After making sure, she turned the knob furiously, letting in a gust of black, charred wind. Immediately, Morrigan’s nostrils were filled with the smell of cigar smoke and burning coal. She watched as her surroundings were replaced by swirls of ebony shadows. She thought she heard Jack yell out her name, but it sounded like a distant whisper.   
Morrigan felt a piece of paper elope itself around her arm, tugging at her like a rabid animal until she tore it off. Immediately after that, the shadows surrounding her dinitigrated, the smell lingering for just a little longer.   
She turned around, paper in hand, to see Jack’s mouth gaped open like the opening of a cave. She smiled nervously and fidgeted with the paper, feeling its pointed edges.  
“Thats…”, Jack started, his face the picture of pure shock. “Not something you see every day”. Morrigan nodded slowly and unrolled the parchment paper, her hands shaking violently. 

The paper read:  
Unit 919  
In order to complete these various demands with haste You must flee your residential sites and disappear as one   
By tomorrow night  
John “Jack” Korapati will help lead your outside associates   
Astray if they ever look to find you  
Do as we say, or we will reveal the Secret of Unit 919  
A firefly is dim in the day  
It thrives at night

Morrigan stared blankly at the yellowed parchment. She slowly made her way to her bed and plopped down on the mattress. Her eyes widened when she reread the demand. It’s not an illusion, she thought. I’m certainly not dreaming either…  
“So”, Jack’s voice sliced through her thoughts like a blade, bringing her back to the present. “What do you have to do now”? Morrigan felt her heart break into pieces and shatter in her body. Her throat burned as she fought the urge to cry.   
Jack gave her a look of concern and took the paper to read to himself. His eyes widened as he read each word carefully. When he finished reading, he set the paper aside. He sat quietly, still as a statue, while rubbing his forehead.   
“I have to do it”, Morrigan spoke in a whisper, her voice cracking. “You know I do”. Jack looked up at her, and then looked over at the page with disgust. “I know”, he said, surprising her. Morrigan expected her friend to stop her, beg her, or at least run to Jupiter in a frenzy. Needless to say, she was prepared for that. Her entire unit was. But never had she thought that Jack would agree to her leaving. “You...agree”? Jack paused, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find the right words to express his feelings.  
“You’re doing this for a reason”, he told her. But it was obvious that he was trying to persuade himself into going along with all of this.  
Nevertheless, she smiled kindly and embraced him. Jack returned the gesture and sighed.   
“How will the Deucalion staff handle your disappearance”? Morrigan put her hand behind her aching neck and pondered sadly. Her mind was filled with images of the staff wilting at her disappearance. Fenestra certainly wouldn’t be pleased. And no smile would be found on Martha’s small heart shaped face. But worst of all...she was worried about what might happen to Jupiter.

“Hey, Jack”? Morrigan asked aloud. “Promise me you’ll take care of Jupiter while I’m gone”? Jack gave her a perplexed look and hung his mouth open. He looked at her desperately. “I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to handle this, Mog”.   
Morrigan nodded solemnly. “I understand. I shouldn’t force you.” She put her hand to his shoulder, planting a smile on her face. “You don’t have to lead anyone astray. Just don’t tell anyone the details of the unit’s escape. Only lie when you have to”.   
Jack nodded slowly. He averted her gaze and instead looked around her room. All sides were covered in ebony black, except for a few splotches of color in the corner.  
He looked numbly back to Morrigan, his eyes struggling to stay open. “I’m a little tired. I’m going back to rest”. She understood and nodded. “Sure, see you tomorrow”. Jack didn’t answer, and left the room, his back hunched forward.   
Morrigan plopped onto her bed once more and stared at her magic door. Her body went numb as she tried to hold onto the parchment. Do the others know about this, she thought to herself. Would they go along with this, or would they leave me?   
Without a word, she pulled herself under the sheet covers and drifted off to sleep, her tired body pounding in pain. She had a lot of work to do tomorrow.

* * *

Morrigan woke up to the sound of a knock on her bedroom door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and groaned loudly. “Come in”, she said while slipping out of bed. She started to straighten out her hair as Martha entered her room, holding a tray of strawberries and cream in one hand, and a glass of apple juice in another.   
“Oh, Martha”, Morrigan quickly grabbed the glass and tray from her friend. “You know you don’t have to tire yourself out so much. Especially not after yesterday”. Martha smiled affectionately and lined up her food on a nearby nightstand. “I know Ms. Morrigan. Serving you just makes me feel better”. 

Morrigan pretended to smile gratefully. She held back a round of tears that threatened to spill across the floor.  
Just as a flood of tears were about to rush out, her bedroom door opened once again to reveal Jack. He was sweating from head to toe, still dressed in his blue pajamas. His hair was in a ruffled state, and his eye patch hung loosely behind his right ear.  
“Why, Jack”, Martha tilted her head at the boy. “Are you alright”? Jack nodded quickly and looked at Morrigan, who gestured to come inside.   
He made his way to the cushion he sat on yesterday and leaned back into the soft, velvet fabric.   
He silently stared out the large window that stood behind a small thicket of brambles and leaves. Morrigan ate her breakfast in silence after Martha left, while continuing to stare at her friend.   
After she finished her food, she placed the empty bowls and glass onto the tray for her to take down later. “Okay”, Morrigan said slowly. “She’s gone. We can talk now”.  
Jack’s head swerved back to face her as she covered the windows with giant, black curtains. She then sat beside him and rested her head on her hands.   
“I’m here to help you pack”, Jack informed her after staring into space for a while longer. Morrigan was caught off guard by this, and asked, “You’re...what”? Jack sighed tiredly. “I said, I’m here to help you pack. 

She smiled gratefully and put her hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You really don’t have to. I can-” “I want to”. He looked his friend in the eyes. “I want to make sure you’ll be alright”.   
Morrigan nodded. “I understand, but first, you should have some breakfast and…change your clothes”.   
Jack chuckled despite the bags under his eyes. He got up from his seat and exited her room after telling her good-bye.  
Now alone in her room, Morrigan dressed up in the clothing she wore the day she left Jackalfax. It felt bittersweet to be wearing these clothes again. Like they linked her to a part of herself she didn’t want to remember. She traced her fingers on the familiar white ruffles that lined along the hole at the end of her sleeves. The fabric was of the best kind. A soft, black fabric chosen by Corvus Crow himself, to show The Wintersea Republic that he loved his daughter. Which he didn’t.   
Morrigan sighed heavily, air filling her tired lungs. After brushing her hair, she decided to go to Jupiter’s study. Packing right now in the morning might not be the best idea.  
She opened her bedroom door and climbed to the highest floor of Hotel Deucalion, where only the she, Jack, and the staff could go. She walked across the wooden floor, passing rows of storage rooms filled with cleaning supplies and old furniture. The smell of cleaning spray filled her nostrils. She covered her mouth, barely stopping her from having a coughing fit.   
Morrigan reached Jupiter’s study and sucked in another deep breath. She then started to picture a group of small baby bunnies prancing and dancing in a field of flowers and plants. She pictured her, Jupiter, and Jack sitting beside the bunnies, a picnic basket draped over patches of grass. She smiled as she pictured platters of food covering the blanket, and drinks filling a frozen crate.  
Morrigan smiled. Hopefully Jupiter’s Witness powers wouldn’t picture any clouds over her head now. Hesitantly, she knocked on one of the large, gold doors leading to her patron’s study. “Come in”, the inviting voice of Jupiter North rang out behind the double doors.   
Morrigan stepped in and showed him a broad smile while secretly fidgeting with her hair.   
“Hey, Jupiter”, she chirped brightly.   
“Oh, Mog”, Jupiter said quizzically, obviously not expecting the young scholar. “Hey, how are you, how was the party”? Morrigan cringed after he said that. Yesterday’s events had kept her awake for a while last night. Her dreams were filled with thousands of disembodied hands pointing and accusing her unit. She tried to say something, but her mouth wouldn’t open. Her lips were sewn shut with a needle and thread, and her head had been glued to a nonexistent wall.   
Morrian shuddered just as Jupiter put his hand to her shoulder. “Hey, it’s not your fault”. She looked at her patron gratefully, tempted to envelope him in a bear hug. Returning the sentiment, Jupiter embraced her with a smile. He chuckled to himself as Morrigan squeezed out of the hug, still not quite accustomed to receiving love and praise after years of being trapped in a web of depression at Crow Manor.  
“Martha’s okay, if you were curious”, Jupiter said while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Morrigan pitied him. He had been staying up all night to coax Martha into going to bed. Large bags sat under his eyes, black and lifeless.   
Morrigan quietly led Jupiter to his tall, green chair behind his desk and helped him sit down.   
“Well, I was just checking to see if you were okay”, she said, trying to come up with an excuse to leave and pack. “I’ll go and let you rest”. Just as she was about to leave, Jupiter grabbed her wrist tightly. For a split second, his skin burned a mark onto her pale flesh.  
“Ow”! Morrigan shook her hand out of her patron’s grip and looked back at him with a questioning look. “Jupiter”, she asked. “Are… you okay”?  
Jupiter stayed silent, as if his lips were sewn up tightly. He stared at the floor as if it had been hurt and looked back at her with a far-away look. 

“Sorry, Mog”, he said each word slowly as if he was trying to find meaning in them. Like, if he sped up for even a moment, he would miss something important. “Can I...tell you something”?   
She tilted her head in confusion, but stood beside him with a welcoming smile. “Sure”.  
Jupiter started. “When I was a young boy, I was seen as an outcast. I had the ability to look deep inside a person’s mind, body, and soul. I could see their deepest desires. Their hopes, dreams, even mere fantasies. Needless to say, my Witness power was like a barrier. It kept me from making any friends. Sure, now I have a large family in the Wundrous Society. I have friends like Jack, Fen, Martha, and even Frank. But the barrier was still there.”  
“Was”? Morrigan asked him. Jupiter looked back at her and smiled while nodding his head. “Yes. ‘Was’”. He leaned back into his large chair, snuggling on top of the green cushions. “Everything changed when I met you”.   
Morrigan waited for him to laugh. She waited for him to say, “it was a joke”, or, “Can’t believe I fooled you”, but it never came. Instead, Jupiter stared into her eyes with a tender smirk on his face. He slicked back his wild ginger hair and rubbed his ginger beard in content.   
“You broke the barrier”, he said. “You didn’t care about my outlandish knack. You realized, even told me, that it was a part of me. That I could never escape from it, so why try”.  
“That does sound like me”, Morrigan thought aloud. “But, why is this all coming up now. I mean, don’t get me wrong Jupiter, this is really sweet. But, you seem to be telling me this for a reason”.  
Jupiter chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. I do have a reason”. He heaved a heavy sigh as his smile disappeared. He seemed... so serious about what he was going to say next.  
“What happened back there at the party made me realize how important family really is. Because of this, I have something to tell you, Mog”.  
Morrigan nodded eagerly, without speaking a word. Jupiter fell silent for a long while, his eyes tracing his surroundings as if he was never going to see them again. He then looked back to her, a look of determination gleaming in his eyes.  
“Mog”, he started. “You have become part of my family. You’ve become like a sister to Jack, even if you fight all the time”. She laughed at that, remembering all the times she and Jack used to quarrel over the smallest things.   
Jupiter continued. “And...you’ve become like a daughter to me. Because of this, I wanted to tell you one thing”. Jupiter again paused. His eyes bore into her skull like a knife.   
“Morrigan Crow, I am asking that if you’re ever bothered by my knack, that you tell me immediately. Please, don’t leave me because of it”.  
Morrigan looked for a hint of laughter. A slight smile. A witty wink.   
Nothing. This wasn’t a joke to him. He wasn’t just informing her, he was begging her. 

Jupiter has abandonment issues.

Morrigan swallowed this new information down her throat. She placed it at the heart of her mind, in a special place where she wouldn’t forget. “I will, Jupiter. I promise”.  
The ginger-headed man beamed at her sudden promise. He leapt from his seat and pulled her into a tight hug. She laughed, her feet swinging back and forth once they left the ground. Stray hair covered her face until Jupiter brushed it away with a flick of his wrist.   
After laughing their butts off, Jupiter and Morrigan called room service for a tray of strawberry scones and milk. The two learned more about each other as the day went on.  
Morrigan learned more about Jupiter’s childhood years. She learned that after he had made large sums from the hotel, he was suddenly surrounded by people begging to be friends with him. “The only way I ever got friends was by excelling from my work”, he informed her after finishing a scone. “Sure, Martha, Fenestra, Charlie and Kedgeree are all my friends now, but the only way I met any of them was through my work”.  
He then stared at Morrigan and grinned. “Until of course, we became acquainted. Which I, again, have to thank you for”. She smiled after taking a sip from her milk and cleaning her mouth.   
Now that she thought about it, Jupiter was right. Every relationship Jupiter had, aside from Jack, of course, started from his work at Hotel Deucalion. His relationship with Morrigan, however, started because she was in danger from Squall, and the rest was history.   
Jupiter also learned about Morrigan’s life before the hotel, which she rarely talked about. He learned about how her father used to treat her, how she met Ivy, and about how she learned a few years ago that she had brothers. He wouldn’t comment on it, but she knew there was a gigantic cloud covering her small head.   
Suddenly, Jupiter’s face crinkled in confusion. His hand hovered above her head and swung at an invisible force with increasing desperation. “Jupiter”, Morrigan said calmly. She moved out of reach, clearly a bit frightened. “I-I..”, her patron stuttered. He leaned back, away from Morrigan. “I apologize, Mog, but, are you...hiding anything”?  
Morrigan’s eyes looked to the ground before he asked the question, but they shot up once he did. She felt her heartbeat speed up drastically, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she struggled to open her mouth. But, just like she predicted, a tough hand covered it like tape.  
She looked back to Jupiter, a sheepish smile plastered on her face. “I...don’t know what you’re talking about”.   
Jupiter was even more determined now. “Look, Mog, I can see that isn’t true. You’re hiding something and if-”. He stopped. His eyes widened in feared realization.   
“Mog I…”, he started, his palms sweating under Morrigan’s wary gaze. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have pried into your head.I know you hate that I do, and I should respect your privacy, and-”. “Jupiter”, Morrigan interrupted calmly. “I know you were only asking because you were worried. I just...don't want to tell you just yet”.  
Jupiter nodded and proceeded to look out the window at the chilly afternoon sky. “Well, we should be getting down to dinner right about now”.   
Morrigan shot up from her seat, just now remembering what she had to do. “Um, actually”, she thought of each word as a time bomb, saying each one of them carefully. “I’m seriously full”. She stretched her legs and smiled at her patron. “I think I should be going to bed right about now”. Jupiter nodded reluctantly, his last scone going untouched.  
In a careful pace, Morrigan exited the study, leaving him more suspicious than she liked.


	4. Into The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the fourth chapter! I also wanted to take the time to tell you guys that I might not always follow the one per week schedule. School work's been piling up recently, ya know? But, i will try! Anyway, please enjoy the chapter

“How many dresses do you think you’ll need”?  
“I don’t know, they never specified how long I’ll be gone”.  
“Well that’s inconvenient”.  
“I’m sure they’ll explain it all to me. They always do”.  
“Who even are ‘they’”?  
“Well, I’m not too excited to find out”.  
Morrigan and Jack had been packing her key necessities for an hour. Both of them had been debating whether or not to get her a third suitcase.   
“Do you think they’ve got for you guys”? Jack asked Morrigan after folding a pair of blue leggings. She pondered on whether or not that was true. Whoever it was that she talked to back at the party, they didn’t seem that…’hospitable’. Far from it, in fact.  
“They’ll probably throw us in a hut in the middle of nowhere”. Jack grumbled in protest. “They better not-”.  
Knock! Knock!  
Morrigan desperately tried not to grunt, afraid of being heard by Fenestra. She was always making quick rounds around the hotel at night. Apparently it eased her mind. However, Morrigan’s mind was far from eased. She got up from her seat and went to her magic door. As soon as she got there, a white paper slipped through the crack at the bottom.  
Morrigan crouched down , her tired knees aching after sitting for hours. She grabbed hold of the paper and unfolded it after looking at the back to make sure she didn’t miss anything.  
“This better be good”, Jack whispered. He continued to fold her clothes, watching her bedroom door warily.   
Morrigan held her breath as she unfolded the letter. It read:

Unit 919,  
Meet in Bursly Cosmetics at midnight   
for further instructions  
Do as we say, or we will reveal the Secret of Unit 919  
A firefly is dim in the day  
It thrives at night

It took every piece of willpower Morrigan had to not immediately crumple the paper, break it apart, and chuck it out the window. Instead, she quickly gave it to Jack, who winced after reading it. “Why the heck do you have to meet at a place like Bursly’s”?  
“I don’t know”. Morrigan slumped onto her bed, her feet dangling lazily on the side. “But i have to”. Jack fiddled with the paper like it was an ancient artifact. He carefully set it down onto her vanity dresser and huffed. “I can’t believe you’re leaving…”.  
Morrigan swallowed. She couldn’t believe it either. She was going to leave, even after the heartfelt conversation she had with Jupiter. She had known he was lonely… but never expected that he was so dependent on her. “You’re my rock”, he told her at some point in their conversation. Morrigan never thought she would ever become someone’s rock.   
Beep! Beep! Beeeeeep!  
Morrigan’s alarm clock rang quietly from her bedside table. She crawled to it from the comfort of her bed. It read: 11:40.  
She immediately felt her heartbeat’s pace quicken. Her stomach felt hot as she cleaned dust off of her nightdress. Without a word, Jack took a plastic bag out from behind him. A big one, filled with cups full of instant ramen, pastries, fruits, packs of meat, and many other delectable foods that were easy to make. “Incase they don’t feed you”, Jack informed her with a grin. “You can sneak back for more”.Morrigan smiled, grateful, and took the bag after glancing at the clock.“It’s time”.  
Morrigan could feel her heartbeat quicken as if it were a racecar. She made her way to one of her large bedroom windows and peered out into the city of Nevermoor. Meanwhile, Jack gathered batches of fabric and started twisting the ends together. Sweat beaded down from his forehead as he grabbed more fabric and tape.   
Morrigan continued staring out the closed window for what felt like hours until Jack was satisfied with the rope’s height. Breathing hard, he rushed to the window and slowly heaved it open. “Have you ever climbed a rope before”?  
She shook her head in defeat. “Well, now you are”.  
With a quick flick of his wrist, Jack held onto one end of the rope as the other end fell out the window, barely touching the grassy flooring. Morrigan breathed deeply, air filling her lungs. She felt a pang in her chest once again and looked back to her bedroom door. She pictured a sleeping Jupiter, feeling peaceful at last after having a heartfelt conversation with someone who finally understood him. Someone who didn’t judge him. Someone who knew that his powers weren’t his fault.

Someone who cared…

Jack’s exasperated groan interrupted Morrigan’s thoughts. He looked her in the eye sadly, afraid to say anything. “I told you”, he said abruptly. “I’ll take care of everything while you guys are gone”.  
“Thank you”, Morrigan told him gratefully. She gave one final look to her bedroom door before making her way to the open window. She looked out at the gleaming city of Nevermoor. Dozens of building lights lit up the night sky. The quiet chatter of nocturnal Wunimals sent a shiver down her spine. Morrigan cleared her head as Jack tied the rope end he held to a tall, black lamp that stood in the corner closest to the window.  
“You think I’ll be allowed to come with you”? Jack asked while he tied a knot around the lamppost. “To, you know, send you all off”. Morrigan tilted her head in deep thought. She inhaled the chilly night air and stared up at the barren sky. Not a star in sight.  
“Probably not”,she answered. “And besides, I would really appreciate it if you could stay and make sure no one comes in”.   
Jack nodded. He and Morrigan exchanged one last look before she went over to the open window. She looked down at the rope and clutched the window rail tightly. Jack straightened the rope as she swung her feet to the other side. She shivered as soon as her legs touched the icy cold of the night air.   
Morrigan shook her head, concentrated on NOT falling, and let go of the railing. Immediately, she grasped the fabric rope tightly. She looked up at Jack, who gave her a thumbs up. She smiled, and then proceeded to cling to the fabric as she put on foot behind the other against the rocky surface of the hotel. As she descended to the cold, wet grass, she whimpered.   
What if she wasn’t thinking straight? What if she was unknowingly about to make the biggest mistake of her life? What if...what if no one was coming with her?  
Morrigan was about to climb back up when she heard Jack say, “You can do this, Mog”. She looked up to see him smiling down at her. “You can do anything you set your mind to”.  
She bit her lip, still unsure, but reached the cool, grassy, floor. All at once, Jack quickly grabbed the rope from the railing and heaved it back up. He then flung her suitcases down onto the ground. She turned and gave him a look of annoyance mixed with fear.  
“I don’t think I’m ready for this”, she whispered, gripping onto the suitcase handles. Jack sighed. “No one is. But, I know you’ll be able to do this. You’re not Jupiter North’s candidate for nothing”.He then gave Morrigan one last look of determination before giving her a thumbs up and closing the window tight.  
She squinted, trying to make out the silhouette of any other unit member. Nothing. Morrigan shivered once again, but pressed on into the night.

* * * 

Morrigan clutched the metal suitcase handles tightly. Her head and body felt increasingly cold, but she pressed on. Her teeth chattered and she once again wished for the comfort of her warm hotel bed.  
Stop it, she told herself. You’re making yourself feel worse.   
Morrigan made her way to a line of shops just outside Courage Square. She sped up once she heard low voices coming from the far end of the block and raced towards them, still holding onto her suitcases. Her feet began to fall asleep and she struggled to stand. Finally, she lost her grip and crumpled like a pillow cover onto the cold, wet sidewalk.   
Morrigan held onto her suitcase handles and treated them like crutches, lifting each case one by one so she could move. Her arms burned in protest as she heaved them up and down. She dragged her feet slowly upward, while looking up at the sky. Icy wind washed over her face as she closed her eyes tightly. She opened them after adapting to the cold wind and looked up ahead of her. She saw the outline of a large B and picked up speed. Even though she yearned to rest, she lifted her suitcases faster, the weight of the contents intensifying.   
Finally, Morrigan reached Bursly Cosmetics and rested against the rocky surface of the shop. She inhaled deeply, her lungs burning after the excruciating walk. She stretched her arms and legs, hearing a small crack every so often.   
Creak.  
She turned to the sound of a door creaking open and was face to face with an exhausted Anah. Anah’s mouth dropped open and she turned her face into the shop energetically. “OMG guys, it's her”!   
Morrigan heard the rustle of footsteps as the rest of Unit 919 peered out of the door frame at her paler-than-pale face. “Hi”, she said pathetically, her throat hoarse.   
Hawthorne emerged from the small crowd and wrapped her into a tight hug. “Took you long enough”, he whispered amongst the piercing night air. 

“We should take her inside”, Anah said. Hawthorne nodded and pulled Morrigan up. He flung her right arm onto the back of his neck and held up her waist. Together, the two retreated with the rest of the unit into Bursly’s Cosmetics.

The inside felt like a warm fire against her icy body. Hawthorne draped a blanket over Morrigan and smiled. Morrigan looked across the room at all her unit members. Mahir held a book in his hand and leaned into a waiting chair. Anah and Lambeth sat nearest to the fireplace, their hands grazing the heat like a life force. Thaddea stared out the large permafrost covered window at the shops lined across from Bursly’s, her hands at her sides. Cadence, as well as Archan and Francis, peered behind the counter, looking for anything that might help them.  
They’re here, Morrigan thought to herself. They’re all here.   
“Mog”? She heard Hawthorne ask her. His tone sounded worried, causing her to look at him. “We’re all here, Mog. We’re in this together”. She smiled, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek.  
She sniffled and said, “Jack is helping us, so don’t worry”. Cadence laughed. “That’s what I’m worried about”!  
Morrigan chuckled and was about to say something else, when she heard the ting of a small bell emanate in the room. She and the rest of Unit 919 swerved their heads toward the reception desk. Seated behind the desk was a small, hunched back old woman, Her long gray hair was tied in a beehive-like bun, stray hairs splayed across her shoulders. She wore a long, blue shirt that was covered by a brown apron. 

“Took you long enough”, she spoke in a crackly voice. She frowned, dark circles under her eyes, and held up a sign-up sheet. “I’ll need you to sign this, first.”  
Morrigan looked to Hawthorne for instructions, but was caught off guard when he raced toward the counter and immediately signed his name. The letters began to glow, like a swaying candlelight.   
One by one, the scholars reluctantly signed their names in gold script.   
Morrigan tensed as the woman looked at her with an expecting gaze. She stood up slowly and made her way to the counter. She took the small pen and watched as each letter she wrote glowed as bright as a firefly. She expected it to feel like the surface of the Sun. Instead, it felt like a cool breeze washed over her body, making her feel relaxed.  
The old woman said nothing, proceeding to put away the sign up sheet like it was a delicate piece of glass. “Alright then”, she said. “Just wait here and be patient little things”. The woman almost turned when she spotted Lambeth becoming absorbed in the light of a shiny piece of decoration. “AND DON’T TOUCH THE DECOR”!  
She ruffled her hair,(even though it was a lost cause), and walked into the back room. “Kids these days have no respect for old art”, Morrigan heard her grumble under her breath before disappearing behind the employees only door. Morrigan decided that she liked her right away.  
“Did we just run away from home to wait in a cosmetics store”? Mahir pouted.   
Morrigan was thinking the same thing. “Should we follow her”? Lambeth nodded furiously. “You don’t want to do that”!  
The unit turned to her, all of them waiting for an explanation. “What did you see”? Archan asked. Every time Lambeth had used her powers before, she had never been this scared. She was usually so calm and quiet.  
“I didn’t really see anything”, she confessed. “For some reason, I can’t. But I felt a bitter taste just now, something I've never felt before”.  
Morrigan’s eyes widened. This was certainly new...  
“So, what”? Anah asked aloud. “We just wait here for potential doom-”?  
Suddenly, the back employee door opened slightly. Immediately after it opened, a large, smoky, black hand dived toward the group of kids and pulled each of them into the dark abyss. Morrigan struggled free for a split second, before being dragged back with her friends. The door closed behind her with a thud.   
Unit 919 coughed up black, bitter smoke for the rest of their descent to any type of ground. Morrigan screamed loudly, her throat burning. She and the unit whisked past blurs of red and black as they hit the floor. Their luggage followed them down and plunged onto their backs, smacking their chests to the floor once again.  
Morrigan groaned, clutching her throbbing head. Hawthorne held his hand out toward her, which she took reluctantly. As she stood up, she scanned the dark room. Her eyes squinted as she saw the outline of a figure walking in the misty, black abyss. She held her breath as the figure drew closer.   
She closed her eyes tightly, clinging to Hawthorne’s arm like her life depended on it. Careful not to accidentally dig her fingernails into his arm, she peeked out from behind him, now face to face with the emerging figure.  
The figure was,(or, at least, looked like), a slender young woman with dark black hair covered by a veil over her small head. She wore a loose black dress that clashed with her yellowed teeth.   
Immediately, the unit was surrounded at all sides by identical figures. All seven of them, all wearing name tags with eerily familiar names...  
Morrigan held her breath. She had heard those names before. At the start of the Fright Trial three years ago. The Witches of Coven 13, she realized. They were part of this organization.   
She gave a crooked glare to Sweet Mother Nell, the old woman who she had helped during the trial, with a look of malice. Nell shrank back into the dark like a hapless kitten.   
“So”, Cadence said with a spurt of anger. “Was this all a trick”? One of the witches, the one who’s name tag read ‘Amity’, stepped closer to the unit. “There's no trick.”, she said matter-of-factly. “We’re just here to get your luggage and location acquainted”.  
Morrigan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Location”?  
The Coven said nothing as they gathered up the unit’s suitcases and fled. Amity turned as she left with Cadence’s purse. “Just follow us, and you’ll understand”.  
The unit traded glances with each other, all of them still unsure. Thaddea stepped up with her head held high. She remained silent as she walked forward into the shadows, beckoning the rest of Unit 919 to follow her.

* * *

Jack straightened his eye patch furiously. He made his way downstairs for breakfast, feeling a knot tie in his stomach. A tight one. He averted his gaze from passerby, eager to eat and get rid of this uncomfortable feeling.  
Still on break from his classes, he rested at the end of a table once he got a simple bowl of cereal with milk. He stared at the barren seat beside him that Morrigan would normally sit in to have breakfast with him. He shivered, a chill running down his spine as he forcefully chewed a mouthful of cereal.

Jack inhaled a cool breeze, hoping it would thaw his sweaty body. Because he studied his Witness powers, he learned how to mask and fake his own thoughts. He should be fine as long as he doesn’t accidentally say anything, (he most certainly would, no question).  
As if on cue, Frank pranced over to Jack with a smile, making him immediately want to vomit up his breakfast.   
“Hey, J”, he chirped in a giddy manner as he made his way to the breakfast buffet table. “How ya doin”? “Just fine”, Jack said all too brightly.   
Suddenly, he heard the rolling of cart wheels and gulped up his saliva as Martha entered the dining hall with a perplexed look on her face. She caught his eye and made her way over to him eagerly.   
“Jack”, she spoke softly. “Have you seen Ms. Morrigan anywhere? She’s not in her room”.  
Jack straightened slightly, his mind swirling. “Nope”, he said, and immediately filled his mouth with another spoonful of cereal. Smooth Korapati, he thought to himself. Real smooth.   
Martha still didn’t budge, however, and pressed on. “Do you have any idea where she went? She might be late for her Wunsoc classes”! Jack had almost forgotten that today was Monday. Morrigan would be missing a ton of schoolwork.   
“Maybe she’s getting ready with Dame Chanda”, Martha said to herself. “Although she’s never had that habit before”. The maid then rushed off to search the entire hotel. At least, it seemed like something she would do.

After breakfast, Jack heard the thumping of various footsteps against the hardwood floor. A wave of panic washed over him, his heart beating uncontrollably. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Martha had called Jupiter after finding that Morrigan wasn’t in the hotel. He felt his uncle’s heartbeat grow faster by the minute. His teeth were chattering even though the inside was relatively warm.   
Jupiter ran up to Frank, who had been eating next to Jack after gathering his food. “Was Morrigan with you in The Smoking Parlor”? Frank looked back at Jupiter as if he was offended. He put his hand to his heart and said, “What? No, ‘Hi Frank’, or, ‘How ya doin Frank’”?   
Jupiter groaned aloud. Now that Jack had a good look at him, he looked better than he thought he would. His hair was ruffled, but his suit was smoothed out. Bags rested under his eyes, but his shoulders were straight. However, Jack knew all that would change soon enough.

He heard Frank sigh deeply, maple syrup dribbling from his chin. “No, Morrigan wasn’t with me. Why would she”? His brow furrowed in thought while he ate his breakfast. “Anyway, I thought she was with you”. He pointed at Martha accusingly, clearly annoyed to be bothered early in the morning. Martha stepped back in shock. “Why would she be with me”?  
While she and Frank continued to argue, Jack was led away by Jupiter, who stared at the ground as if it was the most depressing thing he had ever seen. The two of them leaned against the bottom stair banisters, looking at each other.   
“She wasn’t in her room”, Jupiter informed him slowly. “She’s nowhere in the hotel”. Jack masked his knowing thoughts with a look of worry.   
“Why wouldn’t she be here? She seemed fine after you guys talked”.

Jupiter kept his head down, refusing to even look at his nephew. His lips were chapped, and Jack could tell he hadn’t had a drop of water. I have to stall him, he thought. It’s too early for him to worry.  
“Maybe she and her unit already left for Wunsoc. I’m sure they just wanted to get there earlier”.   
Jupiter looked up in confusion. “That doesn’t sound like Mog…”. He crossed his arms, his eyebrows creasing. Jack groaned in exhaustion. He knew this was going to be hard, but he didn’t think it would be this hard. “Well, she IS a teen. She just wants to be free".  
Jupiter nodded slowly, his eyes showing a spark of hope. “Yeah, maybe you’re right”. He stood upright with a smile on his face, his shiny white teeth glimmering in light. “Ya know, I used to do that kind of stuff back in my early years. There was this one time where I..”.   
As Jupiter calmed down a bit and droned on about the shenanigans he used to pull as a teenager, Jack quietly sighed in relief. He kept pace with his uncle as they exited the dining hall and pranced to his study for a chat. 

But, in the deep, dark, pit of his stomach, behind the mask of content, was a lie that burned like fire in the back of his head.


	5. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter five! Hope you guys are wondering how life's gonna be with the unit's sudden disappearance. I'll be honest, a few bits and pieces of this story are being made as I go, so just be prepared for a sudden burst of ideas. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Unit 919 stood behind a pair of large, silver double doors with Coven 13. Their bags in hand, they waited for a minute before the doors slowly began to open. Morrigan felt a small push and automatically entered her new ‘living space’.   
The doors were in front of a group of pavilions surrounded by a thicket of bushes and flowers. Tall fountains sat in front of the porch stairs, enveloped in a pair of walkways.   
“This”, Nell gestured to a large pavilion in the very back, just in front of the surrounding forest. “Will be your new home”. Morrigan felt the brim of a rocky column and shivered. She could hardly call this place a home.  
“What even is this”? Thaddea asked aloud. She stared, mesmerised by the tall, gold covered water fountain. Amity rubbed her temples tiredly, dangling Cadence’s purse between her thin fingers.   
“Go inside”, she ordered. “And all will be revealed”. She quickly opened the pavilion door and rushed in, followed by the other witches. “I swear”, Mahir said while glaring at the front door. “If she says another encrypted phrase, I will riot”.   
Morrigan bit her bottom lip awkwardly, contemplating whether or not to go inside. After a moment, she reluctantly opened the door and went in. The rest of the unit followed her, but kept each other at a distance so they’d be able to cover more ground if ever attacked.   
Unit 919 and Coven 13 came together in the formal dining room a minute later. Exhausted, Morrigan rested on a highchair alongside Cadence, who yawned from a lack of sleep.  
Nell cleared her throat loudly, causing Morrigan to almost tumble. Hawthorne, who sat on her other side, immediately caught her and pushed her up slowly. She inhaled deeply, thankful for her friend’s help, and leaned forward onto the island.   
“We will be leaving you all to sort your luggage”, she informed them. “And, we hope you all don’t try anything stupid”.   
Morrigan fought the rising urge to grab Nell and twist her neck ever so slowly. She was really asking for it.   
After the coven exited Unit 919’s new home, Morrigan lept from her seat like a monkey. “Alright”, she said. “Let’s not mope around. We’re only preventing the inevitable”. As one, the unit grabbed each of their luggage and spent the rest of the day choosing their rooms. Morrigan and Cadence decided to share a room, and so did Thaddea and Lambeth. When all the double-bedded rooms were chosen, the rest of the unit chose one-person bedrooms.   
As Morrigan unpacked, she heard a small ping. She turned her head to the plastic bag Jack had given her. Curious, she fumbled around in the bag and picked out a zip lock bag of nine small, black coms. She smiled knowingly and opened the bag slowly, dumping its contents onto her bed.   
“Hey C”, Morrigan chimed to her roommate. Cadence turned to her after taking out most of her primary belongings. “What is it”? She asked, her eyebrow furrowed slightly. Morrigan held out one of the coms and smiled quizzically. “A present”, she informed her. “From our resident ally”.  
Cadence’s eyes lit up as she dove in for a device. “I’ve always wanted to use one of these”, she told her in excitement.   
Suddenly, Morrigan and Cadence heard a small, barely audible ping come from each of the coms. “He’s online”, they both yelled. They each took a device and put to their ear holes carefully.   
“How are you guys doing”? Morrigan’s eyes widened once she heard Jack’s voice omit from the small piece of machinery. She felt so nauseous from being far away from her Deucalion family that she plopped herself onto her mattress. “Doing great, J”, she smiled to herself once she calmed down. “Just getting everything sorted out”.  
She felt awkward amidst the silence that followed. “You okay”? She asked. She felt Jack inhale deeply before speaking. “I’ve got everything under control, for now”. Morrigan tilted her head in thought. “What exactly did you tell them”? She saw Cadence put on her com to listen in, her face dripping with nervousness.   
“I told them that you all might have gone to school together early”, he told them. “It’ll only last for so long, though. Hawthorne’s parents won’t buy that he wants to become more responsible”. Morrigan fought a chuckle. It was true. Hawthorne always felt that rules were a bore. A chain, he called them.

“Well, I should get going”, Jack said. “Only a few days and then I’m going back to the academy”. Morrigan smiled sadly. “You’ve gotten so much on your plate, J. I’m sorry”. “Don’t be”, he answered. “This is my choice”.  
Jack bid the two of them farewell, and signed off. The com lights began to dim as Morrigan and Cadence pulled them out.   
Morrigan scanned her surroundings. Both her and Cadence’s beds leaned on opposite sides of the room. The bare walls were practically begging to be decorated with colors and posters. Two wooden desks sat next to each other behind a large window covered with soft, velvet curtains. A large, decorative carpet covered the floor. Morrigan winced when she caught a whiff of its smell. Similar to how Corvus’s hair smells after being slathered with multiple alcohol-contained hair products.   
Morrigan shook her head and proceeded to open her personal closet. It's not big enough to hold all my clothes, Morrigan thought. I guess I’m going to have to deal.

* * *

Morrigan heard a pair of knocks at the front door after she finished unloading her things. “Who’s gonna answer that”? She heard Thaddea ask in the hallway. She and Cadence peered out towards the door, which stood behind and between the living and dining areas.   
Morrigan held her breath and made her way to the front door, dragging her legs carefully. She felt a chill crawl up her tired spine and rubbed her fluttering eyes. She grasped the doorknob, its cold, icy touch surprising her. She shook her head forcefully and twisted the knob. To her surprise, in front of her, stood the old woman from Bursly’s . She leaned against a pillar with a bored expression on her face, an expression which was painfully forced.

“You look like a pufferfish”, she spouted with a sly grin. Morrigan, despite the insult, smiled at her. “What brings you to our…”, she looked down at the barren, rocky porch with a wrinkled nose. She’d hardly call this place her home. “Living space”. She looked up to see the woman furrow her brow in joking confusion. “You keep using that kind of language”, she gestured to Morrigan’s formal vocabulary like it was a reason for banishment. “And these folk’ll eat ya alive”.  
Morrigan couldn’t help but smile kindly at the woman. “Thank you for the advice. Now, what’s your reason for coming here, if you don’t mind me asking”? The woman looked at her like she had spoken in a different language. “You do realize that it’s almost time for dinner, right”?   
Morrigan simply nodded her head. “Of course. In fact, we’re setting up food right now”. That was obviously a lie. But in her defense, she didn’t want to hang out with a potential murderer any longer than she had to.   
“Doesn’t seem like that to me”, the woman said smugly. She moved past Morrigan as if she were like paper and strolled into the empty kitchen area. “Don’t smell any food. Just hectic unpacking, and childish teenagers”.  
Morrigan fought the urge to groan and, instead, smiled widely. She had been doing that alot recently. “Now that you’ve caught me in my lie”, she said quickly. “Please explain why you are here, exactly”.  
The woman turned around to study Morrigan as if she were a test subject. Her eyebrow arched upward like a sail. “Don’t you know that every member of The Blood Quills eats in their division’s dining hall”?  
Morrigan heard shuffling just behind her and turned to see Hawthorne with his mouth gaped open. He jumped in front of her and took a fighting stance. “You wanna get to her”, he yelled. “You go through me”. He glared daggers at the old woman and scrunched up his small nose. The woman looked amused, and stepped back. “Sure thing, fearless warrior”.  
Morrigan giggled nervously. “Hawthorne”, she whispered. “It’s fine”. If Hawthorne had any questions,(which he obviously did), he kept them to himself and moved aside.  
“We don’t know about these so-called ‘quills’, and, ‘factions”, Morrigan stated. “Do you think you could explain them to us”? The old woman rolled her eyes tiredly. “I’m not one for exposition”, she grumbled. “But if it’ll prevent you kids from making fools of yourselves on the first day on the job, then fine”. She lazily sank into one of the living room couches and layed down, putting a hand under her chin.   
Because of the sudden commotion, the rest of Unit 919 filed into the living room, jumping at the sight of the woman. Morrigan simply said, “Don't ask”, and looked back to the old woman expectedly. “You were saying”?

The woman sighed in exasperation and sat up. “It’s pretty simple, really”, she said. “You all are now in one of the inner sanctums of an underground criminal organization”.  
The room got quiet. So quiet you could hear a bird tweet. Morrigan rubbed her tired temples in thought. “Not the answer I was expecting”. The woman laughed. The more time Morrigan spent with her, the more she wanted to learn her name. “By the way. What’s your name”? The woman stopped abruptly, startled by the seemingly harmless question.   
Morrigan’s eyes widened. “You can answer only if you want to”.  
The woman chuckled nervously. “It's not that”, she said. “It’s just that, I forgot my real name a long time ago”.  
Morrigan swallowed tightly. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight, like a warrior in a fighting stance. Wherever she was, wasn’t a joke at all.   
Her stomach grumbled. The Nameless Woman laughed wholeheartedly. “I’ll explain the rest of this living hell on your way to the dining hall”, she told her. “You nine could definitely use some fresh, non-contaminated, air”.   
Morrigan nodded, despite wanting to refuse and learn about the organization before eating a single bite.   
The woman smiled coyly. “And, you can call me by my code name here. ‘Vigil’”. Morrigan tilted her head in playful accusation. “Vigil”? Vigil nodded. “Short for Vigilante. Always loved watching masked hero types of films”.

With this newfound information, Morrigan relaxed a bit. Her muscles rested as she, Vigil, and the rest of the unit passed by a few more pavilions to reach the dining hall for their so-called ‘faction’. Morrigan couldn’t wait to find out more about that.  
A loud commotion interrupted Morrigan’s calming thoughts. She looked ahead of her to see a large crowd blocking the doors leading to the dining hall. “Does this normally happen”? Morrigan heard Anah ask Vigil from behind Thaddea. Vigil hummed a bit before answering with a, “Only happens when the cooks are falling behind”.   
Hawthorne cringed. “I feel bad for those chefs, then”. Vigil scoffed. “Don’t be, they’re trained assassins”. Morrigan’s eyes widened. It seemed like everyone was here for a reason.  
“We should stay back from the crowd”, Vigil advised them. “A fight could break out, literally any minute”. As if on cue, a scrawny man with grayish skin bumped into someone. That ‘someone’ towered over him like a building.   
“You looking for a fight, Hedgewig”? The taller man bellowed to the scrawny man, whose code name was apparently Hedgewig.   
Hedgewig stepped back, his hands covering his face like a mask. “I-I meant no disrespect, Malet”! He peeked through the space between his fingers, his body shaking uncontrollably. Morrigan bit her bottom lip, fighting to keep from helping Hedgewig. She felt conflicted to root for him. After all, who knows what he did in order to get into The Blood Quills.   
Morrigan heard Malet snarl from a mile away. She closed her eyes as he charged toward Hedgewig in anger. The ground shook as he grabbed hold of his stick-like waist and flung him, head first, into a nearby cluster of bushes. Hedgewig emerged, scratch marks covering his whole body. His hair was tousled to the side as he brushed off a few stray leaves.   
“Aaaargh”! He let out a battle cry before racing toward Malet.   
“What’s he thinking”? Mahir asked aloud. “He’s about to be eaten alive”. Vigil sighed tiredly. “That’s how Malet and Hedge usually are. It’s best to enjoy the moment”. Morrigan lifted her brow before looking back at the fight before her. A circle of criminals surrounded Malet and Hedgewig as the both of them charged at each other.   
Hedge grabbed onto Malet’s mallet, clutching its handle tightly. He immediately jumped in the air, still holding on to it. He quickly contorted his limbs as he aimed the mallet toward its owner’s head. With a loud thud, Malet crashed into the ground on his back. He moaned in pain, his head swinging from side to side.  
Hedgewig stretched his arms and legs, a smug grin on his face.   
“Huh”, Morrigan was surprisingly impressed. Maybe these members weren’t all talk after all.   
Suddenly, the dining hall’s doors cracked open, revealing a group of chefs grumbling under their breath. One of them stomped over to the crowd, pushing through the criminals like they were ants. She put a hand into the opposite sleeve, effortlessly pulling out a kitchen knife. She smiled widely, displaying her shiny, white teeth. In a fit of rage, she grabbed Malet and Hedgewig by their hairs. They wiggled under her grasp, their legs kicking at nothing but air.   
“Now, now”, she spoke in a crisp, clear voice. “That’s no way to wait patiently for your food”. She threw them aside as if they were trash and looked to the crowd. She yelled, “If any of you still have some fight in ya, the food’s ready”!  
Morrigan ducked behind a stone sculpture of a pirate as the horde of criminals ran into the dining hall, leaving Hedgewig and Malet to sulk. Despite the voice in her head telling her to steer clear of them, Morrigan carefully walked to the two, smiling brightly.   
“You look like you need help”, she said. Malet swerved his head to her, his breath barely keeping calm. Morrigan continued to smile, even offering a hand to both men.  
Malet looked at her, confused. Meanwhile, Hedgewig grabbed her hand and leaped up happily. “That was sweet of you, lady”, he smiled. “But, not everyone’s gonna be as nice as me when you offer assistance”.   
Morrigan knew he was right. She got lucky. She couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes. “Right, thank you for the advice-”.  
“She’ll be just fine”, Malet interrupted them with his booming voice. “I smell secrecy and Wunder on her”. Morrigan was tempted to ask what he meant, but felt like she already knew. He smelled her Wundersmith powers as they burned through her body. Wunder was a part of her, whether she liked it or not.  
“Aren’t you a big box of sunshine, Mal”, Hedgewig said sarcastically. He took one look at his bruises and winced. “Great match today, mate”. Malet grumbled in annoyance and proceeded to turn toward the dining hall, leaving the group of astounded Quill members.   
“You aren’t from around here, are you”? Hedgewig asked Morrigan as if he already knew the answer. Which, he most certainly did. “Just some new folks that’ll be joining the Crow Quill”, Vigil informed him.  
Morrigan held her breath. Crow Quill, she thought. Just like…  
She felt a nudge. It was Hawthorne. “Is this some kind of joke”? He asked her. She shrugged, not sure herself.   
Morrigan rubbed her stomach. “Can we go in and eat now? I’m starving”!   
Thaddea pushed through the rest of the unit. Her stomach growled hungrily. “Don’t have to tell me twice”! Vigil nodded. “I can’t tell you how this place functions on an empty stomach, now can I”? Morrigan heaved a sigh of relief. Thank god. Food.

* * *

Jack sank into a plush seat in the Smoking Parlor, his nostrils filled up with the smell of vanilla,(to calm one’s mind). He closed his eyes, relishing in the sweet smell. He felt his body relax into the soft fabric. For just a moment, he forgot about the secret that was keeping him from napping. He forgot about the imminent danger awaiting his friends.  
That was, until Jupiter came storming through the parlor, his breath hot with worry. Jack clenched his teeth, but continued to mask what he was really thinking. He fought the waves of nausea seeping into his brain. A dizzy sensation arose in his head, making it seem like the world was swirling in and out.  
He had no excuses left. No lies to make up. He thought he could hold off for just another few hours, but his uncle had proved him wrong.   
Jack stood up on his hind legs, wiggling like jelly. Jupiter spotted him and rushed over with a paper in hand.  
“Hawthorne’s parents sent us a letter”, he told him quickly. “He hasn’t come home. Neither has Morrigan, nor Cadence, nor-”. “Any member of the unit”? Jack interrupted him.   
Jupiter didn’t answer, and instead, paced the parlor floor. Frank, who sat with Dame Chanda in the back, looked annoyed. “Hey, North, you’re ruining the mood here”.   
Jupiter ignored his friend’s protests and instead turned to his nephew. “They’re gone, John. They’re all gone”. His breathing increased rapidly, making him look as if he was about to choke. Jack surely was. He thought about what to say, but ended up with empty words like, “Calm down uncle”, or, “Let’s think this through”.   
“What if”, Jupiter said, barely forming the words. “What if Squall took her”? Jack’s throat became hoarse. His vision became blurry as he tried to come up with any type of excuse. At least they got away, he thought. Before they got to see me in this mess.   
Jupiter put a hand through his wild orange hair. Jack noticed that his normally trimmed beard now stood, its hairs exploding at all sides like an octopus’s tentacles. His mouth was so chapped, barely a hint of liquid had reached it. Jack cringed in his head. His uncle looked horrible. 

Suddenly, Jupiter ran out of the parlor, quick as a cheetah. “Uncle Jove”, Jack cried. “Where are you going”? His uncle turned back to him and said, “What does it look like? I’m going to search for Mog”.

Jack felt like a cord was tucked around his neck for the rest of the night. Through the thick, crimson walls of his hotel room, he could hear his uncle’s shuffled footsteps as he phoned the Stink, and the Stealth. His room grew hot like the surface of the Sun. His clothes stuck to his skin like glue before he mustered the courage to turn on his side. Before he fell asleep, however, he heard the sharp knock of a beak on a window pane.  
Jack swiftly turned to his bedroom window, and was startled to see a carrier pigeon walking along the railing. Its small eyes stared at him through the window. He groaned until realization hit him. It could be Morrigan!  
Jack slowly crept out of his bed, hoping and praying that Fenestra wasn’t awake. Once he reached his window, he slowly heaved it open. An icy breeze swept through his room, causing a chill to run down his spine. The pigeon edged forward, the letter hanging from its thin, pole-like neck.

Jack untied the string around its neck and took the letter, stroking it’s soft head as a ‘thank you’ before closing the window. He slowly sat on his bed, sweat beading down his face. His hands shook as he unfolded the parchment, eager to hear from his friend who had only been missing for a day, but had managed to rile up the usually calm Jupiter North.The letter was a little faded now, but he was still able to read it.   
It read:  
Dear Jack,  
The nine of us have safely arrived at our new...home. Apparently we’ve been tailed by an underground crime group called The Blood Quills. Creepy name, right? They’ve split their group into five factions named after birds. You can probably guess what group they put us in. We don’t know when we’ll be able to come back, but I already have a feeling that Jupiter knows I’m gone. I will also be having extensive training to hone my own skills, even though I’ve already had training from school. I’ll be seeing you again soon   
Your friend,  
Morrigan Crow  
Jack smiled despite himself. Everything on their side was fine. All Jack had to do was hide evidence of where they were, like this letter. Jack glanced around his room. There weren’t many hiding spots here, sadly.   
He looked out his closed window when he heard multiple tapping sounds. Nevermoor had begun to rain. Water poured down the Deucalion roofs like a river. Bunches of liquid fell rapidly.   
Jack felt a bulb light above his head. Fighting the cold, he opened the window once again. He held out the letter and let it go. As it fell to the floor, it was pelted and gushed with spouts of water. Once it reached the cold floor, the letter was no more.  
Jack plopped onto his bed, his tired body lazily swaying from side to side. His eyelids began to flutter at quick speed as he fell asleep, the rain becoming a distant memory.

* * *

Jupiter hurled his monocle across the room, the glass shattering against his office wall. The pieces splayed out across the floor. He shifted in his rolling chair and stared at the mountain of papers on his large desk. The Stink officer on the other line whimpered. “Mr. North”, he asked in a barely audible whisper. “Are you still there”?  
Jupiter rubbed his temples before answering with, “Yes, Mr. Freeman. I’m still here”. Officer Freeman sighed in relief. “We will start immediately with the search for Morrigan Crow. However”, Jupiter shifted again. “However”?  
He heard Freeman swallow saliva. “What if the entire unit leaving isn’t a coincidence”?  
Jupiter leaned back tiredly. The office air was cold and smelled of burnt coal. Morrigan would usually come in here to tell him about her day. The two of them would snack on scones and tea and smile big, dimpled grins. Jupiter would do everything in his power to take her good-for-nothing father’s place in her heart.  
Jupiter glared grimly at nothing. “I don’t care about anyone’s theories”, he growled under his breath. “Just find my Mog, and pray that she isn’t hurt. Because if she is”, he said, balling his hands into fists. “You and your police force will wish they were never established”. Mr Freeman nodded on the other line furiously. “Yes, Mr. N-North”. After that, Jupiter ended the call. He once again looked around his empty office. He held back a flood of tears that threatened to spill across the floor.  
“Don’t worry, Mog”, he said. “I’m going to find you”.

Jupiter North cried a lot that night.


	6. The Raven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter six! Super excited about this one. Keep in mind, things are about to get crazy from here on out!

“What’re we doing”? Anah laughed hysterically. “What’re we doing? What’re we doing? What the hell are we doing”?  
“In and out, Anah”, Thaddea said, breathing hard. “We’re almost out of sight”.   
Morrigan pumped her arms and legs, taking large steps as she and the rest of her unit ran out from behind Nevermoor National Bank. They charged into the surrounding woods, ducking below a crowd of shrubs.  
Morrigan pushed past low branches and large bushes as quietly as she could(which was not at all). She heard the clamor of flashlights and ducked once more behind a large tree trunk. Thaddea, Cadence, Hawthorne, and Mahir rushed into a thicket of bushes. Archan, Anah, Lambeth, and Francis swiftly climbed up the forest canopy, clenching their teeth despite the sharp branches digging into their arms.  
Morrigan covered her mouth to keep from squealing. She watched as a line of light scanned the space around her, looking behind a nearby tree.   
Suddenly, Morrigan had an idea. Closing her eyes, she pictured Wunder in her head, just enough for what she was about to do. She pictured a foggy mist surrounding a barren land, slowly creeping into unknown spaces.   
When she opened her eyes, Morrigan saw her hands, legs, and the rest of her body, covered in mist. Her body now looked completely transparent, and her face was unrecognizable. She smiled tightly despite the situation, and crept out of her hiding space.   
As a beam of light reached her arm, Morrigan made a deep wailing sound with the back of her throat. A chilling, ghost-like noise. She smiled for real when she heard the surrounding officers whimper and rush out of the woods.  
“Woah”, Hawthorne said as he exited a large bush near a clearing. “Is that you, Mog”? Morrigan nodded, still gazing at her transparent arm. Slowly, she saw her pale flesh appear just as the foggy mist around her disappeared. She felt a burst of otherworldly energy course through her veins. It felt like a fresh wave of Wunder had washed over her entire body. For once, Morrigan felt powerful. As the Wunder slowly disappeared, she felt a yearning sensation to feel that way again. She would definitely have to train for that, though.   
“Well”? Thaddea asked her. “Do you still have it”? Morrigan nodded immediately as she pulled a sparkling, gold trophy from her side purse. She quickly enveloped it in a towel to keep it from glowing, and gave it to Thaddea. “Not bad for our first demand in hiding”, Morrigan said.   
It had been a few days since Unit 919’s disappearance. The city of Nevermoor had been crawling with both the Stink, and the Stealth, searching for them. To make things worse, Jack had to go back to the academy, which meant he couldn’t check in like he used to.

“We should leave”, Cadence advised. “Before they muster up the courage to come back”. Morrigan nodded her head. She looked out into the woods to make sure no one was there before saying, “We should go in small groups”.

For the next few minutes, the groups, consisting of Cadence, Hawthorne, and Morrigan, Lambeth, Thaddea, and Archan, and Mahir, Anah and Francis, made their way to Bursly’s. Morrigan found solace that she wasn’t wearing her signature dark colors, and was instead wearing a ruby red shirt with white tufted leggings. She couldn’t wait to slip back into her black dress.

Once the last team(Mog, Hawthorne and Cadence),reached Bursly Cosmetics, Morrigan peared in through the window at the lively store. She looked behind the counter to see Vigil smiling widely in a flashy pink dress with long red(fake) nails. Her long gray hair lay open in soft curls. Her face stood caked with foundations and wrinkle removers.  
Hawthorne held back a laugh. “Oh my god…”. Morrigan smiled in pity. “The fact that she has to wear that to keep up appearances is really sad”.

Vigil must’ve noticed Morrigan, because she edged her head to the back of the shop before turning back to help a customer. Morrigan nodded, and told her two friends to follow her.   
The three unit members quietly peered around the back of the shop. A door with the same color as the storefront stood there, totally normal looking. Morrigan felt the rocky surface for any secret doors or whatnot, but found nothing. WIth a grunt, she opened the back door and went inside, with Cadence and Hawthorne following reluctantly behind her.   
Inside was what looked to be a storage room. Boxes stacked high above the ground. The tiled floor was a dirty black. The walls were taped with blueprints and random paint colors.   
Morrigan looked around for any disembodied smoky hands, but turned up with nothing. She looked back to ask Cadence and Hawthorne if they found anything.  
They were gone.  
Morrigan panicked and peered out of the door. She scanned the area, hoping to hear the scruffles of her friends. When she turned up with nothing Morrigan was about to give up, when the ground beneath her started to shake. She barely had any time to breath before she took action.She grabbed for a shelf, clutching its side tightly.   
Immediately, the same smoke hand from before rose from under the floor. Morrigan shut her eyes and pushed her lips together.  
She started to feel cold fingers clasp around her waist. Her nostrils filled with a tar-like smell before the hand, along with her, dove into the ground.

Morrigan groaned as she realized there was nothing she could do, and let the hand take her down below the shop, through one of the many tunnel systems constructed by The Blood Quills. Her hair tangled messily around her face. She felt strong gusts of wind keep her from breathing naturally.  
With a thud, she landed on hard ground.  
Morrigan stood up to find herself in front of the doors leading to Crow Quill division’s living spaces. She huffed, straightened her black hair, and pushed through the double doors. She spotted Hedgewig and waved. Thankfully, he waved back in delight. “So”, he said. “Big day, huh”?  
Morrigan’s brow furrowed. “I believe I don’t know what you mean”. She knew it wasn’t anyone’s birthday. The second day she was here, she desperately memorized the entire faction’s birthdays before bed, including the assassin chefs.  
“You’re serious”? Hedgewig asked her. She nodded nervously. What big day? As if he heard her question, he answered, “It's your guys’ Code Day”!

Morrigan stared blankly at her new friend. “I beg your pardon”? She questioned. She knew Hedgewig could be slow in the head, but she didn’t expect him to be this dumb.  
Hedgewig smiled excitedly. “It’s the day where a new recruit who’s proved themselves gets to choose the codename they’ll be taking from now on. It’s a natural thing, I swear”.   
Morrigan felt nauseous. She didn’t want to have a new name. Sure, the name ‘Morrigan Crow’ reminded her of her life in Jackalfax, but it was still the name given to her by her late mother. It was a part of her.  
Morrigan kept this to herself, obviously. She just nodded.

Once she reached her home, she heard hectic footsteps on the other side of the door. She groaned. What now? Morrigan turned the doorknob and entered the pavilion, and was immediately surrounded by her unit members.

“It’s happening already!”  
“We thought it would take a few more days, but-”.  
“This is bad, really bad!”

“Guys!” Hawthorne interrupted. “She just came back. Don’t crowd around her”. The unit stepped back a bit, clearing a path for Morrigan to a stack of papers on the dining table. Malet sat there, his eyes filled with worry. He turned to Morrigan and said, “You might wanna see this”.   
Morrigan felt a lump form in her throat. She tilted her head to read the newspaper her uninvited guest was holding(which needed an explanation), and gasped.  
The entire unit’s celebratory photo was plastered on the front page. Their names, all their hobbies, and their last known sightings. Morrigan turned to the next page, where a photo of wheel tracks sat, filling nearly the whole page. It looked eerily similar to how Morrigan remembered her suitcase’s wheels looked when it made contact with the ground…  
Ping!  
Morrigan swiftly turned to her side purse. WIthout a word, she took out her earpiece and put it into her ear. She heard shuffling on the other side, soon followed by rapid breathing.   
“Uh...Jack”? She asked, lower lip trembling. Jack calmed down a bit and said, “Oh, hey Mog”.  
Morrigan smiled and relaxed. Only a bit, though. She looked at the newspaper again, holding back a frightened squeal. “You saw the papers, correct”? She asked her friend. She heard Jack’s low breathing from the other side of the line. It was quiet, meaning he was close to other people. 

“Look”, he said. “I won’t be able to talk much right now. Just know that there’s no way anyone would be able to link you to these tracks”. Morrigan was doubtful, but nodded. “Alright. Thanks Jack”. Jack told her goodbye, and ended the communication.   
Morrigan tore her tired eyes away from the newspaper, and instead looked to Malet. “I would like an explanation as to why you’re here, by the way”. She turned to Hawthorne, gesturing to him for an explanation. He seemed too scared to give her one.  
“Don’t scare the poor guy”, Malet advised her coyly. He propped himself up from his seat and set down the newspaper, its text now faded. “I just came here to see what codenames you guys would be pickin’ for yourselves”. Morrigan raised her brow. “And how exactly, are we going to do that”?  
“Why, with these”. Malet gestured to a small stack of blank papers. Each of them had been lined with tar-like paint. Nine quills lined against each other beside the stack, the large, transparent feathers facing the backyard. A small ink pot sat between the groups.   
Morrigan’s head felt hot and nauseous. She screamed at herself to refuse, but she found herself gripping a quill tightly. Her hand shook as she dipped the quill in the pot. Small droplets of ink fell on the table, creating a pool of the substance. Without a word, the rest of the unit followed in suit of her. Each of them took a paper and quill, taking turns with the ink pot.  
“Is there any criteria for your codename”? Thaddea asked, refusing to tear her eyes away from the paper. Malet gave a thoughtful look, and replied “As long as it means something to you”.   
Morrigan listened in on the conversation, and then gave the paper her undivided attention. Something meaningful…  
“Done”! Cadence yelled excitedly. She set down her paper and smiled widely. Morrigan smiled and looked at her friend’s paper. Etched in a deep, ebony color, she had written, ‘The Ghost’. With a knowing expression, she looked back at Cadence. “That's one way to joke about your powers”.

Thaddea and Hawthorne slammed their papers on the table. Thaddea stretched, satisfied with her name. Morrigan decided with herself to think about her own name, while reading her friends’. While leaning forward, she read Thaddea’s codename, ‘The Admiral’. And Hawthorne’s codename, ‘The Rider’.  
“I’m pleased with mine”, Francis commented. He set it down just in time for Morrigan to read the words, ‘The Chemist’. She was impressed at how easy it was for the rest of the unit to pick out their new names.  
She heard Archan, Mahir, and Anah exchange papers back and forth with each other, and turned around. Archan had named himself, ‘The Thief’, Mahir, ‘The Mayor’, and Anah had chosen the name, ‘The Herbalist’. 

“Hmm”, Morrigan heard Lambeth say as she looked at her own paper. “I’m still not sure what I want to rename myself”. Morrigan nodded. “Me neither. I’m drawing a blank”.   
Malet looked at her, as if he understood what she meant. “Some members decided not to choose something meaningful to them, and instead chose something related to what they wanted to be”. He tightened his grip on his weapon as if he was strangling it. “Before I got this old thing, I was scrawnier than Hedgewig”. Morrigan let out a laugh. “It's true! I could barely hold a bat, much less my signature weapon”. He looked to his namesake, gripping it so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Choose to name yourself by what you aspire to be”.  
Morrigan and Lambeth exchanged understanding glances. Lambeth turned back to look at her paper. She swallowed saliva and proceeded to write, ‘The Queen’.   
As she set her paper down, all eyes stared at Morrigan. She closed her eyes, thinking. She didn’t want to stray from who she was, but she knew that she would have to form a new identity. Something different, but not too different. Something close to her heart, but something foreign at the same time.   
Morrigan held her breath, and wrote in a flourish, ‘The Raven’. Her mother’s favorite bird.   
As Morrigan lined her paper with her friends’, she smelled something burning. She turned to the first paper in the line, Cadence’s, and watched as a corner of the page slowly crumpled. Bits of the paper turned to black ash and created a small pile on the table. The same thing happened with the rest of the papers. Morrigan’s nostrils filled up with smoke, causing her to go into a coughing fit. She waved her hand, moving the smoke away.   
After each paper burned up into piles of ash, a gust of wind hurled them into the air, sending them flying into the sky. Morrigan felt a sense of deja vu. It looked just like the book trial…

“So”, Malet stood up, causing the ground beneath him to shake like a rabid dog. “Welcome to Crow Quill”. 

* * * 

Jack twirled his noodles between his fork, the smell of oil creeping into his nostrils. He sat, shoulders back, in the cafeteria of Graysmark School for Bright, Young Men.   
He glanced around the room, feeling a set of eyes watching him with amusement. Maybe he was just imagining things, but at this point, anything could happen. Morrigan was missing(at least, to everybody else), Jupiter hadn’t spoken a word to him once the two Witnesses parted ways, and to make matters worse, his noodles were too greasy.   
Jack scraped a bit at his plate, deep in thought. That was, until a trio of boys(much too dumb to be called ‘men’), sauntered over to his lonesome table. They wore big smirks laced with smugness. Jack hated smugness. 

“Hey Korapati”, one of them chimed. His name was Ashtian Mark. “I heard what happened. Must’ve been so crazy”! Jack fought the urge to punch him in the face and instead said, “Yep”.   
His nostrils flared up when Ashtian and his friends, Darel and Kade, plopped their lunch trays beside his. The three of them ate in silence, stealing obvious glances at him from the corner of their eyes.   
Jack slumped back, just a bit, and stared up at the cafeteria ceiling. He expected to feel calmer at Graysmark, but somehow, it just made him feel worse. He would feel the walls of the classroom close in on him. The musty air would smell like smoke. His heart would beat uncontrollably with fear. How Jupiter hadn’t been able to see through his farce was beyond him.

After Morrigan had climbed down from her bedroom window, and fled off into the cold night, Jack had wondered how things would be if she ever came back. People would demand answers, answers that would take years to explain. In truth, he hoped his betrayal would never be revealed. However, that was wishful thinking. He would have no choice, as he was the sole reason Morrigan had been able to disappear without a trace. 

Whether he liked it or not, he and Unit 919 would have to work together like a well oiled machine in order to keep up this ruse. If they didn’t-

“Hello”, Earth to Korapati”, Ashtian shouted into his ear. “You still there”? Jack blinked back to the present. He mustered a tight smile and said “Yeah, just lost in thought”.   
That was the truth.

* * *

Jupiter could feel countless stares from behind his back. He tried to smooth out his ginger hair, but watched it stand up straight like a pole. He stared at the ground for what felt like hours, and walked around the hotel absentmindedly.   
Jupiter felt his head hit a solid surface, and found himself standing at the door to Morrigan’s room. A chill ran down his spine. He felt his legs turn to jelly as he stumbled upward.  
His hands shook nervously, as if an invisible person was shaking his body with relentless force. Despite his jumbled head, Jupiter tightened his hand around the doorknob and turned it fiercely to the side. A creak emitted throughout the hotel, but he paid it no mind as he entered the room. His tired eyes traced the brim of her bed, expecting Morrigan to jump out of bed and yell, “Oh crud! I’m late for my lessons”!  
Instead, her bed lay there, still as a statue. The bedspread stayed crumpled, an order made by Jupiter. It made him feel like she was still here.   
Jupiter walked toward the window, feeling slightly uneasy. His eyes squinted hard as he tried to make out the odd shapes tracing all sides of the window. At last, he saw it.   
A deep, crimson puff of smoke danced around the window pane. As it floated, small, yellow sparks jumped out from all sides.   
Jupiter stepped back a bit, his head spinning. As he lay down on Morrigan’s bed, he thought about what he had just seen. Red spoke usually meant a mix between panic and fear, but the sparks were what confused him. He had never seen anything like it before. The shining yellow color meant secrecy, but the spark was something entirely new to him. 

Maybe it means it's a big secret, Jupiter thought in hostility.

Without a word, Jupiter closed Morrigan’s bedroom door behind him. Thoughts scrambled around in his mind, trying to fit when and where they were needed.   
However, one thing was clear. Jupiter would get Morrigan back. No matter the cost.

* * *

Morrigan woke up in a jolt in the middle of the night. Goosebumps formed along her arms. She breathed hard, her throat feeling hoarse.   
Morrigan grabbed a storage room candle and lit it abruptly before exiting the house. She walked along a dirt pathway until she reached the middle of the Crow Quill living center.  
She sat against the bottom of a large fountain adorned in gold. Water spilled out of the mouth of a sculpted mermaid. The quiet flow of water calmed her loud mind. She twirled her finger around a string of bright, green grass before she heard a rustle.   
She turned around in fear, quietly singing her chant.  
“Morningtide’s child is merry and mild”, she started. As she sang, she felt a cool breeze swirl around her fingers. Stealing a glance at her arm, she saw a jumbled twinkle shine in the moonlight. The sight was even more beautiful than the Wunder from her last chant.  
“Hey, hey”, someone whispered, their voice shaking a bit. Out sprung Hedgewig, his hair jumbled together in a few knots and buns. He smiled sheepishly before saying, “It’s just me”.  
Morrigan held her breath, and let down her guard. “Sorry, force of habit”. Hedgewig nodded understandingly. “Now, ya mind tellin’ me what you’re doing out here in the middle of the night”?  
Morrigan didn’t know herself. She had just felt compelled to come here. To get away from her new life.   
Hedgewig looked at her in confusion, and said, “Nevermind, you don’t have to say anything”. He looked at her face as if he was studying her. His eyes traced her face with questions, but his mouth was zipped tight.   
“Look”, he started. “I know this is probably hard for you, given the rumors about where you’re from”.   
Morrigan had been keeping her head down, but swerved it up once she heard that. They knew about where they came from? How?  
“But, just know, you’ll get used to it, eventually”. 

Morrigan stayed silent, but nodded. She slumped back down against the rocky fountain and traced the swirling designs calmly. “Thank you, Hedge”, she said. “I’m glad to have found some friends in this place. It helps me take my mind off of leaving my family and having to someday deal with Ezra Squall”.   
She spoke his name barely above a whisper. It was dangerous to say it loudly.   
Morrigan turned to Hedgewig, but stopped smiling when she saw his look of confusion. “Deal with The Wundersmith”? He asked. She nodded absentmindedly. “It’s only a matter of time before I see his face again”. She’d have to look into the eyes of the person whom she thought was the first to trust her. He, or rather, Mr. Jones saw her potential and offered her something she couldn’t refuse. And yet, she did. And look at her now.

Yet again, she was met with a look of confusion from Hedgewig. “Is there something wrong, Hedge”? She asked, clutching her dress so hard her knuckles turned white.   
Hedgewig smoothed his brown shirt and felt his growing beard for a moment. He glanced around the space warily, making sure no one was there.   
“I guess you don’t know, then”. He said after a moment’s hesitation. He gave her a look full of senseless pity.   
“What do you mean”? Morrigan asked him. She felt her heart beat get faster by the minute, eager to hear what had her new friend so rattled.  
Hedgewig hesitantly looked into her eyes. She saw him swallow saliva with a tight smile plastered on his tired face. 

“The Wundersmith is dead”.


	7. The Unexpected Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 7. Writing this one was certainly a wild ride! You would not believe how much time it took for me to write Jupiter's POV. I don't know why, but it's so much fun for me to write out this guy's dwindling sanity, while having happy go lucky Unit 919 moments, as well as secretive Jack moments,(I like to call him doube-agent Jack when I'm writing,lol).  
> Anyway, enjoy the chapter, like, comment, and share!(If any of you are wondering, I just write on Google docs and copy and paste here).

Morrigan had been sleeping through the following day, much to the worry of her friends. However, that still didn’t help with what was happening to her.   
Throughout the night, Morrigan’s body had felt as hot as fire. She felt the blood in her veins swirl around like wind.   
Morrigan had a dream that night of the frail Ezra Squall screaming in the midst of a dank cellar. His thin figure was being surrounded by small sparks of twinkling light. He turned his head when he saw her, and frantically looked into her eyes, almost pleading.  
That was when he didn’t look like Squall anymore. Instead, he looked like the kind, protective Mr. Jones. Slowly, he reached out his shaking hand toward her, stumbling back whenever a spark had caused his skin to bleed.   
Morrigan fought the urge to help him, because he didn’t deserve that. She yelled, “How? How did you die”? She only received the painful cries of the Wundersmith as he began to sink beneath the floor, the sparks diving after him.   
Morrigan’s throat went raw. She began to feel her body shake. Her stomach felt as if it were about to burst. She watched in awe as the same sparks rose out of the ground. They twirled in sync until they spotted her. That was when they began to pounce on her.  
Morrigan tried to run, but the Wunder was quicker, and surrounded her on all sides. Her eyes widened as the sparks began to turn a bright red. They began to shake as if in an earthquake, causing her to step back.   
The Wunder once again lunged for her, and then-

She woke up. Her crumpled blanket sat at the end of the bed, along with one pillow.  
“Oh good, you’re awake”. Morrigan turned to see Cadence at the room’s door frame. She still wore her blue nightgown. Her hair was tied in a ponytail at her side.   
“Hey Cadence”, she said while greeting her friend with a smile. Slowly, she rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. She solemnly stared at the large mirror that hung behind two sinks.   
After inspecting herself in the mirror and changing her clothes, she made her way to the dining room, where all her friends were. Last night’s conversation hadn’t once left her memory.

\--------------------

“What do you mean Ezra’s dead”? Hedgewig just stared at her. “It’s exactly as I’ve said it”.   
Morrigan’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing right now. Ezra Squall, the most famed Wundersmith(for all the wrong reasons), was presumed dead? She wouldn’t believe it even if she had seen his dead body herself.   
“Is he just presumed dead, or…”, Morrigan asked. Ethically, if Ezra had died, everyone would’ve been talking about it.  
As expected, Hedgewig replied, “Well, no, actually”, while scratching the back of his head. Morrigan raised her brow in confusion. “Then why does everyone think he’s dead”?  
Hedgewig sighed. “It’s more like news in the crime world. Apparently, the guy’s been missing for a while now. No one’s heard a peep”.

\---------------

Morrigan’s skin bathed in the hot sun as she, the unit, and the rest of Crow Quill, waited for the tall dining hall doors to open. Vigil, Hedgewig, and Malet had joined them soon after they reached the square.  
“I swear, if these doors don’t open in the next few seconds”, Malet yelled, clutching his weapon of the same name in his hand. “I’m tearing them down”.   
Morrigan couldn’t help but agree, especially now. Ever since she woke up, she felt compelled to use her Wunder. It would twirl around her fingers without her even singing her song. And she couldn’t help but feel like she had more Wunder than before. She knew it was begging to be used somehow. Although, it would be a waste if she used it on these doors.

Slowly, the double-doors slowly opened up, leading to the extravagant dining hall. Morrigan held her breath as she entered the room. The walls were covered in thin ivy.   
At the buffet table, lunch trays were stacked up against each other. The smells of assorted foods contaminated the room, filling her nostrils.   
Morrigan giddy grabbed a tray and took a bowl of strawberries, waffles, maple syrup, and a small omelette. She set her tray down at a table in the back, staring in awe at her food. It was so clean and well done. It shouldn’t be eaten by these kinds of people.   
Morrigan looked at her unit mates. Hawthorne looked back at her knowingly. “This feels wrong”, he said. She nodded without saying anything and traced the brim of her tray with her nails.   
The strong scent of maple overwhelmed her as she tried to swat it away. She was unbearably hungry, her stomach churning furiously. However her head began to fill itself with images she remembered from Jackalfax. She pictured small, thin children dressed in drabby rags. They bore saggy, sleepy eyes that droop when touched by the Sun’s rays.   
Morrigan remembered once when she was riding in a large, horse drawn carriage lined with silver as she and her family passed the poorer side of town to get to a picnic site. She cringed as she remembered a few small children peeking out from the side of their ragged homes to stare at her. Some of their eyes had lit up when Corvus took out a small cake from the picnic basket.   
Instead of giving it to them, however, Corvus merely smirked and gave it to Ivy, who daintily held a fork in her hand. Morrigan had known what they were doing, but kept her mouth shut for fear of being looked down on.

She shivered as she brought herself back to reality. She twirled a lock of her black hair and fought with herself to eat her breakfast.   
“So”, Malet leaned forward a bit while whispering, “everyone knows who you are, but no one knows why you’ve been brought here”. He looked up in thought, completely missing the nervous looks from the unit.   
“Truth is”, Morrigan inquired, “We don’t even know why we’re here”. She was met with stares from Hedgewig and Vigil, who stopped eating a while ago. “You can’t be serious”, Vigil replied, her sandwich hovering before her mouth.   
Morrigan nodded silently as she tore apart her omelette. She didn’t feel very hungry anymore, but ate a piece nonetheless.   
“Well, you guys are here for a reason”, Hedgewig told them. “The Leader’s always got a plan”.  
At this, the corner of Morrigan’s mouth twisted into a small, knowing smile. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Corvus had ‘gifted’ his daughter with his wit and cunning nature. She knew a secret when she heard one.

“Who exactly is the leader?” She asked in a whisper. She tried to hide her yearning intrigue, but failed. Hedgewig and Malet exchanged glances. “No one really knows”, Malet told them. “At least, no one in this Quill”.  
Morrigan tilted her head in mild confusion. “Why does no one in this group know who the Leader is”? She started playing with her food nonchalantly. 

Vigil gave a thoughtful look. “I don’t know if you could tell”, she said sourly. “But, we’re sort of...the weakest faction in The Blood Quills group”.  
Morrigan remained still as she thought over those words carefully. She should’ve expected this answer, but it was still surprising. “I see”, she replied. She felt the unit’s questioning stares, but pushed them off to the side.   
She couldn’t help but think that it would’ve been better if she tried to gather information before leaving.   
Morrigan looked down at her food. She wasn’t very hungry anymore. Her stomach churned as she sighed internally. She decided to drop the conversation altogether instead of digging deeper. It was obvious to her that she wasn’t going to get any more answers than she already had.

* * *

Sir Cardgin’s lanky voice echoed in the back of Jupiter’s mind. He rested his head in his hands on the table in front of him, his arms growing as cold as ice. A stack of papers sat in front of him, all of which he had yet to fill out. He fidgeted with the corner of one paper, feeling the thin edges.   
Jupiter was sitting in the League of Explorers conference room one Monday morning, a mere week since Morrigan disappeared. His feet dangled lazily as he tried to smile. His mouth was chapped, only becoming hydrated when he drank water or licked his lips.  
Jupiter looked around the conference room to distract himself. Its walls were made of thick wood. Photos were plastered on all four corners of the room. The floors were made of marble. Other than a long table with chairs on all sides, it was empty.   
Jupiter was caught off guard when a finger tapped his right shoulder. He turned his head slowly, his eyes blinking rapidly. Another League member, Kymara, gave him a look of pity, but said nothing other than, “It’s the end of the meeting”. Jupiter nodded solemnly, his jagged hair rubbing his neck like needles.   
He slowly made his way out of the League of Explorers headquarters, and began to walk to the Deucalion. The chirping of birds straying from their flocks were like background music to him as he treaded down cobblestone pathways. After nearly absentmindedly running into a mailbox and tripping on air, he begrudgingly rested on a park bench. He kept his eyes glued to his surroundings, as if someone was spying on him. Unfazed, he stared at a group of kids who screamed in joy as their mothers brought them their lunch. The three of them ran to a cluster of picnic tables and sat in the biggest one, the farthest from the playground.  
Jupiter sighed tiredly. His hair grew hot as it bathed in the scorching Sun. A shadow soon fell on his lanky body, blocking the rays of light that dripped onto him. He looked up to see Frank hovering above him with yet another look of pity. He slowly mustered up the strength to give him a smile and said, “Hey there, Frank”.  
Frank took a while to respond. His black hair waved around roughly in front of his pale face. His suit and hands were covered in brown sutt. His forehead creased in worry as he looked at Jupiter’s facial features. “Yeah, hey”.  
He sat on the seat beside Jupiter, not taking his eyes off him. “How did that happen”, Jupiter asked, gesturing to Frank’s drabby suit and hands. Frank looked down at his suit and shuddered unexpectedly.   
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”. At this, Jupiter leaned forward in his seat. Just a bit. “Try me”, he said. Frank’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked around cautiously. “Alright”, he said after scanning the surrounding greenery.   
“Today, before I met you here, this… black mist started following me”.   
“Black mist”?  
“Yeah”, Frank replied in steady breaths. “I was super scared, so I started running as fast as I could. But, it kept twirling around my arms and legs. It’s like it was trying to grab me”.  
Jupiter’s head felt hot. His body went numb when he leaned back into his seat a bit. “I’m too tired for this”, he mumbled to himself. His head began to throb in pain.   
Suddenly, he began to see a blurred outline far away from him. It looked-at least, to him-like a mound of different colored cotton balls stacked on and against each other. Slowly, the image became the back of a middle heighted girl. Her long, black hair waved in loose curls, as if in greeting. She wore a loose, blue dress that carried all the way down to her heels as they clicked against the stone pavement. A laugh escaped her small mouth as she trotted farther, and farther away from his line of sight.  
Jupiter stood up quickly. The world around him began to spin rapidly. Frank called out to him in a worried tone, but it all just seemed like twisted garbled noise in the back of his head. He staggered toward the girl, his legs barely carrying his frail body with him. His wild hair began to cover his face roughly before he waved it away with the flick of his hand.   
He breathed hard and fought the urge to cry out, “Morrigan!” before he reached the girl. Barely breathing, he grabbed onto her shoulder in a rough manner and turned her around to face him. “Morrigan, it’s”, he started to say in a high voice, but stopped. Before him stood a small, lean girl with short blonde hair. She was dressed in a simple white dress with a flower pattern on it that stopped just above her waist. She stepped back a bit, her body shaking in fright.   
“M-Morrigan”, Jupiter stuttered. He gritted his teeth and held the girl’s shoulders tighter, causing her to whimper.   
He shook his head in disbelief. His jaw tightened as he let out a cry. “WHERE ARE YOU”? He screamed at nothing. Heads turned to stare at him, but he ignored them with a chilly hostility he thought he was incapable of. “WHY THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE ME”? He looked down, expecting to see the girl, but found that the space below him was empty. He looked up to see the child running away from him, a fearful expression on her face.   
At this, Jupiter began to kick at the ground ferociously. Soil started to cover the tips of his shoes. He howled painfully when his toes kicked at a rock.

He heard frantic steps behind him. Sure enough, it was Frank. “What the heck is going on with you, man?” He asked. He put his hand to Jupiter’s shoulder, who immediately pushed him away. “What, you think Morrigan’s gonna want to see you like this”?  
At the mere mention of her name, Jupiter tensed. He froze, his legs in the air at mid kick. Slowly, he set his foot down and rubbed his pained ankles. He refused to look up into the dazzling sky.   
“Don’t you dare ask me what she would want”, he found himself saying beneath his ragged breath. Frank started stepping back, which only angered him more, for some reason. “I know her better than you”. He cleared his throat before turning to him with a scowl on his face.   
But what really irked him was Frank’s calm composure. Unlike Jupiter, sweat wasn’t beading down his forehead. His eyes weren’t saggy temples. His hair was (mostly), groomed and his shoes were sleek and glowing in the morning sun. It was like he didn’t care Morrigan was gone. He hated that.   
Frank couldn’t even react when Jupiter grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him into the soiled ground. He coughed up more sutt and stared up at him. Jupiter gritted his teeth as he towered over him like a building.   
“You don’t care that she’s gone, do you”? He asked. Although it seemed more like a statement than a question. Frank heaved a heavy sigh and sat up, not daring to stand. “Of course I do”, he replied hoarsely. His throat felt sour as he gulped up saliva.   
“No”, Jupiter stated. “I don’t think you do”. He said nothing as he grabbed his collar once more and glared into Frank’s wide eyes. His hair was all over his face now, wrapping around his forehead as he breathed out hot air. Frank kicked under his hostile grip, determined to free himself.  
“You all are sitting here, having the time of your lives”, Jupiter sneered. His grip tightened in anger. “While Mog’s probably cold and helpless, all by herself”.   
Suddenly, Frank mustered up the courage to look up into the eyes of his shaken friend. “You think we’re not doing anything”? He practically yelled at him. “The entire hotel’s been organizing search parties. I’ve been flying over all of Nevermoor looking for her”.  
That didn’t lessen the cold, hard grip Jupiter had on Frank’s shirt collar. In fact, that only tightened it.   
“Here’s the thing though”, he growled under his shaking breath. He was staring deeply at him now, no longer looking like the cheerful person he usually was. “You don’t look the least bit worried about her being gone”.

At this, Frank clenched his teeth and swerved out of Jupiter’s grip. He swayed from side to side when he landed on the ground before looking up at him coldly. “Everyone goes through grief differently, North”, he mumbled. “Some keep it inside”.  
Jupiter’s eyes widened. “You feel like this too”? “Of course I do”! Frank practically yelled at him through gritted teeth. He smoothed out his suit’s crumpled edges like an iron. “You know how many hours I spent today alone, creepin’ around corners and going into criminal dens-which I reported-?”  
Jupiter stared solemnly at practically nothing. His cold exterior began to dwindle. He looked down at his swollen, dirty hands. He was disgusted with himself.   
“Sorry, Frank”, he said, barely under a whisper. Frank nodded understandingly, causing him to question how people youtube with his recent mood swings.   
“You gotta calm down, J. This isn’t gonna help Mog”. Jupiter couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. “She always hated that nickname”.  
Jupiter and Frank started heading back together, much to the discomfort of the park goers who saw the confrontation. They walked on silently, taking in the now chilly air like a drug.   
Jupiter felt his sagging skin and groaned. He felt his thoughts swirl around in his head, like a colony of bees in a hive. He felt his gold W pin despite himself, and pushed it against him, clutching it tightly. It was one of the only things that kept him going. The only thing that reminded him of Morrigan.

He once again became grim. His mouth stayed in a permanent frown. His hair felt dry as grains.   
I’ll find you, Mog, he promised her in his mind. I’ll find you, and never take my eyes off you.

* * *

Morrigan rested her head against a pillow on Monday night, staring up at her bedroom ceiling. She had contacted Jack an hour earlier for any notion on whether or not the Unit 919 search parties were picking their tracks. Thankfully, with him on the inside, he was able to ‘misplace’ evidence. She heard that Jupiter wasn't doing so good, which only made her even more nervous.

Exhausted from today’s findings, she rolled over on her bed. She still felt the Wunder build up inside her, like a bomb. Sometimes a bundle of it would stray from her body, twirling around like it was taunting her.   
She resisted the temptations it gave her, pushing them to the back of her mind.  
That was, until the doorbell rang out in her home.  
Morrigan jolted up from her sitting position. Reluctantly, she staggered toward the front door and heaved it open.   
“Hey there”, Vigil said, standing below the porch lights with a small smile. Morrigan raced down and pulled her up into a hug. “Oof”, she mustered. “That’s too tight, love”. “Oops, sorry”, Morrigan apologized as she set her friend down(well, she thought Vigil was her friend).  
“Anyway”, she said. “Why are you here, if you don’t mind me asking”?  
Vigil looked up thoughtfully and looked over at a throng of small bushes that sat at the edge of the pavilion’s curb. She set her gaze back on Morrigan with a smile and said, “This guy over here wants us to teach you how to hone your Wundersmith skills”.  
As soon as he was mentioned, Hedgewig emerged from the array of greenery and sauntered over, his hands pushed deeply into his pockets as if he had something to hide. He swung his head around a bit to blow away a couple of stray hairs that sat glued to his sweaty face. His clothes were rigged, small pine needles rested on his shirt and pants.  
“I thought, since Squall’s gone, you must be feeling pretty filled up,right”? Morrigan said nothing. Although, he was right. The Wunder had been building up inside her, like a balloon that threatened to pop. She sighed, and nodded her head.  
Hedgewig smiled, satisfied. “You’re going to have to learn to control it if you want to stay on The Blood Quills’ good side. So,” he strained the word playfully. “I thought it would be cool if we helped you out”. He smiled a genuine smile. One that Morrigan had never thought she would receive if she stayed in the cold and dreary Jackalfax.   
“None of us are Wundersmiths”, he explained. “But, we’ve read a lot about your and Ezra Squall’s powers until now, and we believe we can help you hone your skills”.  
Morrigan couldn’t help but smirk widely. The corners of her mouth began to dwindle as a result of the immediate pain she was feeling. She wasn’t used to such an immense form of happiness.  
Vigil looked up at her hopefully, Hedgewig by her side like a puppy. “So”? They both asked at the same time, keeping eye contact with her. Morrigan looked at her hands solemnly, feeling the same urge she felt a while ago. To use her powers, release them into the cold afternoon air. She strained her eyes as she saw it twinkle in the palm of her hand, like a star in the night sky.  
Morrigan looked up at her new friends with a determined look on her face. A look that felt so new to her.   
“What exactly are you going to do”? She asked. Hedgewig and Vigil exchanged a couple of thoughtful glances before turning back to the Wundersmith. Hedgewig stepped up, a bundle of papers in his hand, wrapped in thin rope. He simply replied with, “I’m going to turn you into the most powerful Wundersmith the world has ever known”.   
Morrigan felt a giddy, happy feeling that she hadn’t felt in a long time. “When do we begin”? She asked in determination. Vigil walked closer to her, her eyes never leaving her. “Whenever you want, Wundersmith”.


	8. Impending Doom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the eighth chapter, and as I've promised earlier, a time skip. Also, OMG HOLLOWPOX IS OUT!!!!!  
> I immediately sent my mom a screenshot to get it and I wouldn't stop pestering her about it. Well, it'll all be worth it once that incredibly stylish cover is in my hands! As a final note before you read, don't worry, Fen will be in this story......I just don't know how to add her in..........Author problems, ya know?  
> Anyway,I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*3 years later*

Jack chucked a half eaten apple into the nearest trash can, fighting off an exasperated groan as he bid the now unconscious officer Lante farewell. I have to remember to tell Thaddea not to leave evidence behind, he thought.

It had been three straight years since that night, and still, no one had picked up the unit’s scent. A few of them at a time would come back to visit him on his break days, but other than that, Unit 919 had managed to disappear thoroughly.   
Jack saw the pounding light of Stink patrol cars reflect onto his sleeves and ducked behind a dumpster in an alleyway. He held his breath as the car pulled up to the unconscious officer. The car door swung open, letting a trio of officers out. One of them, with a name tag that read ‘Connor’, hovered above Officer Lante. He scanned the surrounding area, his brow furrowed in confusion. The two other officers joined him.  
Connor softly shook Lante until he awoke. He looked up at him, a dazed expression on his face. He breathed in and out deeply, and began to feel around in his deep pockets. Jack shuddered and kept a firm grip on his shirt.   
“What the-”, Lante said. “Where is that darn apple”? His stressed out face made it hard for Jack to stifle a laugh, and he pushed his lips together until they hurt.   
Connor scratched the back of his head in thought. “Now isn’t that interesting”. The other officers, including the confused one on the ground, looked at him expectantly. “What do you mean, sir”? One of them finally asked.   
Officer Connor stretched out his arms confidently, a smug smile present on his face. Jack immediately didn’t like him. He seemed like one of those people who relished in always being right. Him and Baz Charlton were probably best friends.   
“I see a clear pattern now”, he informed them. “The only times something like this happens is when we have evidence of the disappearance of Unit 919. Which has brought me to a conclusion”. He looked at his fellow officers proudly, as if he had solved a mystery and expected praise. Oh yeah, Jack definitely didn’t like him.   
Officer Connor scowled a bit, but quickly went back to his smug, satisfied self. “Someone must be working on the inside. Maintaining a normal relationship in order to erase evidence”.   
“Meaning”? Officer Lante asked.   
“Meaning, we just might have a traitor in our midst”.  
Jack couldn’t help it. He hiccuped. Loudly.   
Officer Connor’s head swiveled to look at the barren, dark alleyway. He instantly gripped the flashlight attached to his belt “Someone there”? He hollered. Honestly, he didn’t even need a police-issued megaphone.   
Jack turned to look behind him, scanning the alley for a way out. He found that the area behind him was clear and dark. Nothing but cobwebs and small scorch marks. Perfect for an escape.   
Careful to keep his shoes from squeaking, he knelt down and walked on all fours like a dog, ducking lower as he exited the alleyway. His hind legs began to feel the imminent pain from kneeling behind the dumpster for too long.   
Jack gritted his teeth. That was the closest he had ever gotten to being caught. He felt the ground beneath him shake a bit, and turned a corner into a nearby shopping complex as Officer Connor and his lackeys yelled at the top of their lungs for the suspect to ‘come out’. Needless to say, Jack didn’t feel like coming out of his hiding place. Instead, he planted his feet where he stood, looking around and shopping like a normal citizen. He felt the watchful eyes of the officers as he pretended to choose a shop to enter. 

Finally, Officer Connor grew tired of waiting and sped off into the distance, probably going around to bother other people. Jack prayed for that poor soul as he left the complex and headed back to Hotel Deucalion.   
As he neared the hotel, he dodged a couple of signs reading, “Have you seen them?”. Below the writing were plastered photos of Unit 919’s identification pictures from three years ago. Jack felt his hand omit a feeling of pain and looked down. His enclosed fists tightened around a bit of pant fabric.   
He sighed and forced himself to look away from the signs. Now was not the time. He had to get back to the hotel.  
Jack sprinted along concrete walkways, passing bright faces and cheerful Wunimals. After a while, he pulled to a stop in front of his home, Hotel Deucalion. Its golden frame shined in the fragile sunlight. Birds nestled on the rooftop, chirping a sweet and sappy tune. The curtains waved, as if in greeting, through the open windows. A light smell of crumb cakes filled the atmosphere.   
Jack opened the bronze doors of his home with ease and forced himself to walk inside as if he wasn’t hiding the truth to one of the biggest mysteries of the Wundrous Society.   
Needless to say, the inside of the hotel wasn’t exactly the same as the outside. The rustle of Martha’s dust cleaner could be heard from a mile away. Charlie and Kedgeree leaned in front of the reception desk, staring into their hats for god knows how long. Besides the three of them, no one was on this floor.   
Odd, Jack thought. The first floor was usually the most crowded. He greeted Ked and Charlie, but avoided eye contact with them entirely. Their piercing gazes sometimes suffocated him.   
A light flutter arose in his chest as he reached his room, a safe space for him to gather his thoughts. He dove his hand in his right pocket and pulled out his communication device. He took a bitter look out his window, his eyes crossing the landscape in front of him. A feeling of dread crept into his mind, his chest feeling hot. He scrunched up his brows and leaned against the wall, ignoring his aching neck.   
The hotel was unbearably quiet, except for the shuffling feet of reluctant staff members. Jack bit his bottom lip. The quiet bothered him, but what bothered him more was that no one said anything about it. He didn’t expect anyone to, of course, but a small, tired look from one of them would’ve done some good, at least.  
Jack splayed onto his soft bed and put his head to his blanket. At least my room hasn’t changed, he thought to himself. He propped himself up against a throng of pillows and latched onto his TV remote. He flipped past food channels and sports matches before he reached a news broadcast. He sighed, pushing his head deeper into a large pillow.   
Jack turned up the volume just a bit. A tall, lean man in a suit stood in front of the camera, holding a microphone in one hand, and a small booklet in the other. He looked incredibly poised, reminding Jack of what he wanted to be like when he grew up. He pushed back those thoughts though, and focused on the broadcast.   
“We’ve recently been catching up on one of the fastest rising cases since three years ago”, he started. “As you know, today is the three year anniversary of the disappearance of Unit 919. Since then, police have been trying to take evidence back for testing. However, they either turn up with no evidence, or have it mysteriously taken away by a mysterious entity. We’ve recently had an interview with Dave and Catriona Swift, parents of missing unit member Hawthorne Swift”.   
The channel switched to a past interview with the Swift parents, the both of them seated together in a comfort seat. Dave’s arms wrapped around Catriona’s trembling body as tears rolled down her puffy cheeks. Jack fought the urge to turn away, instead planting his eyes where he was.   
Mrs. Swift and Mr. Swift mumbled unhearable words to each other, casting fearful glances at the camera, before turning to look at the interviewer in front of them.   
The interviewer(who wasn’t in view), began to ask them questions like, ‘how Hawthorne’s life was before joining the unit’, and ‘how were the relationships between him and his unit’? Jack felt a few of the questions entering interrogation territory. They would ask the parents if they had a fight with Hawthorne before he left, and if they had any idea as to what happened to him. Finally, they went too far, for both Hawthorne’s parents, and for Jack. “What do you think about the theory that he simply ran away”?   
Immediately, Dave gritted his teeth and rose up from his seat so fast, that he had to put his hands on his head to steady himself. He balled his hands into fists, stumbling slightly. Jack found that even he was edging toward the TV, prepared to smash the screen into a million pieces.   
“Shut it”! Dave yelled. “Who are you to ask us that kind of bull”! He stormed off, his head lowered. Catriona composed herself and soon followed after him, obviously flustered. Jack immediately turned off the TV, noticing the stale heat of the room. He breathed heavily, his mind rattled.   
After a few moments, he calmed down, and seated himself on the floor. He hoped that at least his uncle was doing better than him.

* * *

“What the hell do you mean, ‘the evidence is gone”? Jupiter screamed. He slammed his hands onto the table in front of him. His hair splayed across his low shoulders. He stood in the detective center of the Nevermoor Police Department, looking nothing less than an absolute mess.   
“I mean what I said, Mr. North”, officer Lante replied dryly, an ice pack to his forehead. “One minute, I’m driving back here with evidence, the next, I’m sitting on the side of the road with nothing but a slight concussion. I'm fine, by the way, if you were wondering".  
Jupiter knew he looked like he was about to throttle every officer in the department, but he didn’t care. These morons could never do their jobs right.   
“Look, Mr. North”, Officer Connor butted in like the idiot he was. “We’ve been trying our best to find your kid, but this case seems more complex than we gave it credit for”. He presented a file to Jupiter, who opened it reluctantly. Inside it, were a set of pictures bundled up by a rope. The pictures showed a blurred out shadow leaving the scene of every situation similar to the one that happened a few minutes ago.   
“This….”, Jupiter started. “This doesn’t seem possible”. He felt the air around him grow stale as he looked through each picture. “And this happens whenever you bring back potential evidence related to this case”? He asked, not taking his eyes off one of the photos”. “Yes sir”, Connor replied. “Every single time”.  
Jupiter tried to conceal the boiling anger he was feeling, but failed miserably. He shook his head to push away the stray hairs that made contact with his tiny brows. “Alright, then”. He said. “You should simply take more officers with you”. He didn’t wait for a reply as he exited the department, the air grew too hot for him. Maybe I should’ve told them to do an investigation regarding the figure, he thought, but ignored it. The department and him didn’t exactly have a right-as-rain history.   
Jupiter strolled along sidewalks absentmindedly, ignoring the piercing stares given to him by passerby. Everyone seemed to have an unspoken agreement to never bother the associates (patrons, family, and friends), of Unit 919. Especially not on the anniversary of their untimely disappearance. 

Jupiter sometimes heard people calling the investigation unnecessary. “Maybe they ran away”, some said. Jupiter (sometimes) made sure they never had the chance to say anything any longer. He never killed anyone, of course. He just simply reminded them who knew Morrigan best, and who didn't.   
He knew he wasn’t himself anymore. He knew the color in his eyes had faded, and that his posture had grown a bit lower, and stiffer. But he didn’t care.   
His mind had grown restless during the fifth month of Morrigan’s disappearance. He remembered not attending a League of Explorers gathering and staying in the hotel. He had boarded up his office, having the sudden urge for peace and quiet.   
A knock at his door had interrupted that, however. He remembered Frank was at the door, looking hysteric. “North, come on out”, he’d said. “Look, Mog’s disappearance has rattled all of us, but the people need you, man. You just found that mysterious Unnimal-filled village. The unnamed one, remember?” How could he forget? It had been in the newspaper for a week, taking Unit 919 off the front page.   
“You’ve found something revolutionary, Jupiter”, Frank told him. “Morrigan would want you to go to the party. You know she wouldn’t want to see you like this if she were here-”. Jupiter interrupted Frank by pulling open his door after unboarding it in an angry fit.   
“Well guess what Frank”? He’d growled under his frosty breath. “She’s not here. She hasn’t been for months now”. He glared at his friend, clutching the door frame. Frank sighed and nodded his head. “Just… come out soon, man”. 

Jupiter’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt a bump at his side. He looked down hazily to see a small boy, about five or six, look up at him. The boy timidly backed away, making Jupiter confused. That was, until he realized he had been sneering at the kid, his slightly yellowed teeth showing.   
A chill ran down his spine as the kid sped away from him. Jupiter expected his body to follow the kid. To apologize for what he had done. But nothing happened. His legs weren’t moving. No apologies left his mouth. His body was tired, his calm and collected frame had dwindled over the past few years. A shadow had been hovering over him, like a silent guardian. 

Jupiter felt an odd sensation. He didn’t seem to care about how he made the child feel. All that had gone through his mind was that he was tired, and this child was making it hard for him to relax. He knew he sounded like the notorious Ezra Squall, but he didn’t seem to care about that either.   
Jupiter had become the husk of the person he once was, and it seemed just as likely that only the returning presence of Morrigan Crow could bring him back. 

* * *

Seventeen year old Morrigan Crow(also known as The Raven), let Wunder flow out of her nimble palm. Her eyes glowed as bright as a snow bank when she felt it beneath her feet.   
Suddenly, she wasn’t on the ground anymore. Air stood beneath her rising body before she twirled her hands to make a path of Wunder in the twinkling night sky. It shone like small, colored crystals. She walked along it like a normal walkway, feeling a steady breeze of Wunder graze her hair and waist.   
The bottom of her black dress curled upward every time she nearly fell through the path.   
Holding her breath, Morrigan continued to walk along the path of Wunder, feeling it tickle her toes slightly. She let out a small laugh as she dipped some Wunder below her, making a swirling staircase. She felt the banister, a giddy feeling coursing through her veins.   
Once she reached the ground, she heard a rushed clapping sound. “Now that was cool”, someone praised. It was Vigil, smiling like a proud mother, despite her rough exterior. Morrigan greeted her with a smile.   
The Wunder-made walkway followed in suit of her, jumping around like a cluster of rabbits. It seeped into her skin, filling her up as if she were a sponge.   
“Hey, V”, she said. “You like”? She gestured with her hands, letting out a small spark of Wunder that curled to make a vase-like shape.   
“I sure do”, Vigil told her. “You’ve become good at that”. Morrigan nodded eagerly, happy to receive a compliment.   
For these past few years, she had been dissecting the problems and mistakes of past Wundersmiths, like Ezra Squall. Almost all of them had seen Wunder as a power. Just a weapon they had to master. Morrigan, however, had decided the opposite. To her, Wunder was an extension of her emotions. It was a being on its own. She learned to make her mind, body, and soul into a suitable home for it. She let it explore her thoughts. Because, lets face it, a Wundersmith was nothing without their Wunder. All of them had known it, but a select few(Ezra included), tried to deny it.   
Some of her predecessors had controlled it with fear, overpowering it to seem like the bigger entity. Morrigan, again, had done the opposite. She spent hours in her sleeping schedule, simply talking to it. Understanding its own emotions, and how it expressed itself. She found that she was able to create a sort of harmony with it, which had helped her hone her skills. Vigil sometimes looked at her weird when she whispered to it when in public, but she’d shake it off when Morrigan explained everything to her.  
“You heard the rumors yet, Raven”? Vigil asked her. Morrigan, who grew used to the nickname, shook her head curiously. “No, what rumors”? Vigil gave her a look of pity and said, “Apparently, people have started to suspect you guys have run away”.  
The Raven stood still in her place, guilt crawling up her spine like a monster with sharp claws. “Well, they’re right”, she told her. “I just hope they don’t try to look into that”.   
Vigil sighed, putting her hand on Morrigan’s shoulder. “I’ll drink to that”. “Please don’t”, she replied, followed by a chuckle. “Your alcohol tolerance is terrible”.  
The two friends left Morrigan’s training grounds and sprinted off to her and the unit’s home.   
Along the way, Morrigan felt her heartbeat quicken suddenly. She understood what was happening, keeping herself quiet until she waved Vigil goodbye. She ducked behind the surrounding thicket of bushes and turned around. She let a pool of Wunder exit her body slowly. It stopped in front of her, and began to twist itself into a shape. “Do you have something to show me”? She asked. The Wunder jumped up and down happily.  
Morrigan watched as it began to point in a sudden direction. It zoomed away, swiftly and quietly, adding to her curiosity. She lifted her skirt and began to follow it across a few pathways. Her heart skipped a beat as she reached...the archives?  
Morrigan looked to her Wunder for any explanation, but only received a giddy nudge. She groaned internally and followed the Wunder to the front door.   
“Sooooo…..now what”? She asked. The Wunder didn’t respond. Instead, it flew through the hard wall, into the archives.  
Morrigan’s mouth hung open slightly in shock before she shook her head. You’ve done this before, Mog, she thought to herself. You’ve practiced and practiced. She stepped before the concrete wall, feeling its rough surface cruise along her thin fingers.   
She put both her palms against the wall, pushing them slightly. A light tickle trinkled along her arm. With wide eyes, she watched as the wall started to disintegrate into small dust particles. It looked more like a floating pile of dirt than concrete. She stepped through it, pushing aside the dust.   
Immediately after she entered the archive office, the dust particles began to clump up together. They filled the space they previously occupied, the wall popping back into view. Morrigan smiled widely, proud of what she just did. 

She looked ahead at the Wunder, happy to see it jumping for joy at her deed. “Thank you”, she said. “But, I’d like to see what’s got you so riled up”. 

The Archive Room, according to Vigil, was a large room with five almost-as-large filing cabinets. Each cabinet was labeled with a respective Quill faction. In each of those filing cabinets, was every single mission completed within a certain faction.  
Morrigan read each name inscribed on the cabinet doors. “Crow Quill…”, she read. “Owl Quill, Hummingbird Quill, Woodpecker Quill…”. She stopped before the last filing cabinet. Enveloped in gold, and the largest cabinet, it read ‘Eagle Quill’. The Wunder stopped before it, swirling around the cabinet handle excitedly.   
“Alright then”, Morrigan chirped. “Eagle Quill it is”. She gripped the handle tightly, so hard her knuckles turned white.   
The Wunder crowded around her as if it were an intrigued audience. She smiled, and slowly pulled it open. A small creek sounded, making her cringe back a bit. She edged forward after it opened fully, placing her hand along the hundreds of files lined against each other. Each had been sorted by alphabetical names.   
“So, now what”? Morrigan asked the Wunder. Obviously, it couldn’t talk back to her, but it revealed everything in its motions. It swiftly moved toward the inside, where the A names were listed.   
It stayed there for what felt like hours, and Morrigan was starting to get worried. “Everything okay back there”? She whispered. She heard a small jungle, its own way of telling her it was alright. She relaxed, and leaned back against a wall.   
The Wunder soon came out, a file wiggling above it. Morrigan said nothing as she grabbed hold of it just as the Wunder released it. She felt the smooth envelope and slowly opened it.   
The file was relatively small, so small that she could flap it up and down like a hand fan. Maybe it was a simple heist, Morrigan thought. A...REALLY small heist.   
She flipped it open, dust particles radiating out of it. She coughed and held it up.  
The first page immediately shook her to her core. It was a testament, written out in bold ink. Morrigan read the inscription in a whisper, her whole body shaking like a child after going on one too many carnival rides. 

“For years, we have lived in the musty shadows, watching as Nevermoor became nothing more than a city using the Imperial Magix for ‘fun’ and ‘entertainment’. People with extraordinary abilities are shunned, forced to hide who they are. Well, we say no longer. On the night of the last day of the year, we will rain down our right and just ways to Nevermoor. Those who decide to rebel, such as the Wundrous Society, will be taken care of. We will no longer hide. Instead, we will thrive at night”.   
It was signed “Eagle Quill”.  
Morrigan gulped. This was a war testament, she thought. The Blood Quills are planning to take over Nevermoor, just to get their point across. She flipped to the next page, her heartbeat deepening like a knife shard to skin. 

On the next page, was a list of each quill, written out in full view. “Hummingbird Quill”, Morrigan found herself reading aloud. “Owl Quill, Woodpecker Quill, and Eagle Quill”. Eagle Quill, she found, was written with a deep, bold flourish. It seemed important. Very important. But what really caught her eye was that the Crow Quill was nowhere to be found.  
The next few pages were written with battle plans, serious ones that needed attention. Morrigan knew that she had to show these pages to the rest of the unit. “But how”? She wondered. The Wunder shook her right ear, causing her to turn to it for help. In amazement, she watched her hand move by itself as it commanded Wunder to graze along each different page. No crinkles, and no bends.  
After the Wunder finished, it set itself upright in front of Morrigan. “What did you do, exactly”? She asked it with a smile.   
It felt refreshing for her to talk to something that for once, wanted to help her instead of use her. All the friends she had in Jackalfax merely played with her to get a tour of Crow mansion.  
The Wunder wiggled a bit before it took the outline of a pointed rectangle. Between the edges was a transparent screen that began to light up like a television screen. Static appeared before her, buzzing like a swarm of bees. Morrigan covered her ears tightly, clenching her teeth. “Maybe not so loudly, love”, she said. “We wouldn’t want any attention, now would we”?

The Wunder responded with a light jingle before the static disappeared. What replaced it, was a picture of the testament. Without thinking, Morrigan planted her finger to the screen and moved it to the left. Now she saw the list of the four quill names. She smiled as she performed the same motions, looking across each digital paper with a gleam in her ebony black eyes. 

“I wonder what else you can do”, she asked coyly. As Morrigan nodded in satisfaction and bundled up the glimmering batch of Wunder, she felt a flick of paper on her shoes. She looked down at her feet, where a paper lay just above where her toes were. “I guess we missed one”, she told the Wunder as she knelt down.   
She felt the paper’s edges, careful in case of a paper cut, and held it up to read what had been written. She wished she hadn’t

Project Nevermore

The Revolution begins now


	9. When The Crow Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter nine! I haven't gotten Hollowpox yet, but I'll likely get it tomorrow. And, yes. We are finally venturing into what I like to call 'The war arc'! I've got a lot planned. One final thing, I just wanted to confirm with you guys that Vigil, Hedgewig, Malet, Sorenson Jones, Mr. Cardgin, all members of the Blood Quills, and the precinct officers are original characters.

“Are you sure”?  
“Yes”!  
“Are you absolutely certain”?  
“Jack, I swear-”.  
Morrigan hadn't spoken to Jack in a while, at least, not on coms, but she expected him to be...more understanding. She sat on the windowsill closest to the front door, staring out into the landscape. It was the morning after she trespassed into the Blood Quills archives, and the musty smell of the room still lingered.   
Morrigan hummed a tune as she twirled a bit of Wunder around her small fingers. The first person she wanted to show the papers to was Jack, since he was their eyes and ears in Nevermoor. She heard his heavy breaths from the other side, making it clear that she should’ve been less blunt.

“What exactly does this mean”? Jack asked her. Morrigan snorted. “Don’t you go to the Prissy Academy for Sunny Little Boys?” Jack groaned. “Graysmark School for Bright Young Men.”  
“Yeah, whatever”.  
Morrigan sat upright and proceeded to read through the battle plan pages. She couldn’t quite understand them, though. She could make out a group of dragons circling a sketch of Nevermoor. A large battleship was drawn on the edge of the city, filled with hundreds of soldiers.   
“Thaddea could understand this”, Morrigan said. “She’s the battle planner in our group, anyway”. She enveloped her Wunder with her warm hands and stood up from her seat. “I’ll talk to you later, J”. “Alright”, Jack answered. “Talk to you later, Raven”.

Morrigan heard the clatter of pots and pans as soon as she disconnected her communication with her friend. A sudden chill ran up her spine as she was reminded of Martha, who must’ve been in the kitchen at this time. She began to wonder what Martha looked like now. Jack said she had a few gray hairs now, and a creased, more pointed chin.   
She wished to see her, and all of her other Deucalion friends, but she had to discuss something more important right now.   
Morrigan stretched a bit, hearing a small creak by her elbow. She winced, but ignored the sound as she made her way to the kitchen. These days, the unit much preferred to make their own food. Looking at the all too perfect food the assassin chefs cooked made them feel queasy.  
“Hey, Mog”, Thaddea chirped from behind her. She hadn’t changed in terms of personality, but her fighting styles had gotten much better, and she’d think before doing these days(much to Morrigan’s enthusiasm).  
“Hey, Thaddea”, Morrigan answered. “I’ve got something to show you after we eat. You mind”? Her friend gave her a look, which probably meant that she was dumb, and, of course she’d give her some time after they ate, so she stopped talking.   
The rich aroma of pasta sauce filled the kitchen. Morrigan smiled when she spotted a big pot of pasta resting on the stove, hot air emitting from its edges. Nine paper plates sat against each other in one corner, each paired with a fork. After living there for three years, this place finally felt like home to the not-so-small unit members.   
Morrigan leaned forward on the island, filling her nostrils with the delicious scent. Her stomach growled, causing Hawthorne to let out a chuckle as he stirred pasta sauce with a large spoon. “Don’t worry, Morrigan. Food’s almost ready”. She smiled shyly, resting her feet in the living room couch that sat across from the kitchen.   
She turned on the TV, hoping to distract herself from the calming smell of food over a hot stove. Something she didn’t have the luxury of back in Crow Manor. She was met with the concerned eyes of one Jupiter North staring into the camera. His face was now rigid, and wrinkled like a paper that was folded too many times. His hair looked like a nest had been built on his head, and his clothes, that were usually always ironed, were now wrinkled as well.   
Morrigan turned off the TV. A lump formed in her throat as she kept from letting out a barrel of tears. That looked nothing like him, she thought. That’s not Jupiter. That can’t be Jupiter.   
She rubbed her eyelids roughly, letting out a sigh just as the space beside her lowered just a bit. She turned to find the rest of the unit sitting near her, reluctant smiles on their faces. Hawthorne held out a plate filled with pasta, and smothered with sauce. “Come on, Mog”, he said. “You look like you need to eat something”.  
She smiled, knowing that small bags would soon form under her eyes. She gripped a fork that Cadence gave her, setting herself in an upright position. Morrigan wanted to avoid the lessons she had learned from her tutors in Jackalfax, but they were now embedded in her mind. Countless instructions on dinner etiquette and dance lessons had now become a part of her. It was hard to stray from that fact.  
Because of this, she didn’t bother to slump even for a moment, taking in each mouthful like the prissy chancellor’s daughter that she was. It wasn’t until a knock could be heard at the front door, that she was broken from her trance. Her head swerved to the door, her head tilting in mild confusion.

Neither Vigil, Hedgewig, or Malet came here this early. Aside from them, the unit wasn’t close with anyone else. Morrigan was the first to try and get answers. “Does anyone have a new friend they forgot to tell me about”? She looked to each of her friends for an answer, but only got looks of confusion in return. Huh, she thought. So they don’t know either.

She slowly set down her plate as she rose from her seat, the sauce bleeding through the paper like blood. As she made her way to the front door, a tuft of Wunder crowded around her, as if protecting her from whatever was waiting for her outside. She conjured more, just in case, feeling the substance radiate throughout her body.   
Morrigan pressed against the front door and peered through the keyhole, her breath straining. She only managed to pick out a pair of brown pants, which didn’t really narrow the list of people who could be at the door.   
“Well”? She heard Hawthorne ask from the living room. Morrigan struggled for a moment longer, before turning to her friend with a sigh. “No idea”. 

The visitor knocked again, this time with a bit more force. Morrigan held her breath as a million outcomes of this situation played out in her mind. She huffed, and threw open the front door. The eyes, ears, and face of Ezra Squall stared back at her.  
Morrigan fought a scream. She lunged at him, her body weighing down on his like a rock. Wunder whisked around his neck, threatening to seep into him with increasing force.   
“Please”! He whisper-shrieked. “You have to help me”! The man struggled under Morrigan’s grip. His eyes bore into hers like a sharp knife. His hair was long, tied back in a ponytail. He had no scars, and his nose and chin were smaller than Squall’s.   
Morrigan had many questions, but kept her hold on the Ezra look alike. With swift motions, Wunder crowded around him and swept him into the house. Unit 919 stepped back with wide expressions. Anah stumbled back, a whimper escaping her mouth.   
“T-that”, she stammered. “That’s Ezra Squall…”. “It’s not”, Morrigan assured her. “Ezra’s dead, for one thing. This guy doesn’t have his scar, or his chin”.

“What exactly do we do with him”? Hawthorne lowered his volume to a whisper. He kept one eye cornered on the mysterious gentlemen, like a trained hawk.   
“Ask him questions, I guess”, Morrigan answered. “I’ve got a feeling that this guy showing up at our door was no coincidence”.

* * * 

Jack propped himself up against the windowsill in the dead of night. His com device in his ear, he covered his shivering body with a blanket. He had been asleep for some time now, and had been woken up by a stream of Wunder. It ruffled his brown hair like a proud father, edging closer to him until he sat up. It swirled around him, and he began to feel his body leave his bed. He looked down, and suddenly he was in the air.   
Jack fought a scream as he leaned toward his bedside table for his communication device. “What now”? He mumbled.   
A buzzing sound began to court his earlobes, like a horde of bees searching for honey.   
Jack gazed toward his bedroom door, sighing when he saw it was closed. He tore himself from his blanket, still holding it with his bare hands. He lazily moved his body to his windowsill once the Wunder stopped harassing him. He grunted a bit before making himself comfortable, and now he was here.  
The cheerful, yet wary voice of Morrigan Crow filled his eardrums once he placed his forehead to the windowpane. “How are you”? She asked him as if she hadn’t just woken him up from his slumber. “As great as someone who’s half asleep can be”, he mustered.   
He heard Morrigan chuckle a bit, and managed to smile, just a bit. He heard frantic movement from the other side, and sat up. “Did something happen”? He asked. No response. He tapped the device against his finger, letting out an unsatisfied grunt. “Nevermoor to Raven”, he whispered. “Are you there”?

This time, he got an answer. It was Hawthorne. “Raven can hear you, she’s just caught up in something”. Jack sighed. His head fell limp against the wall, his eye barely staying open. They fluttered like butterfly wings as he tried to stay awake.   
Finally, Morrigan said, “We needed to communicate with you asap”. She breathed roughly, her exhaustion visible. “It’s incredibly important”.   
Jack leaned forward, his head throbbing. “What is it”? He said.  
There was a pause, making Jack think the unit disconnected. Morrigan answered after a moment with “We found someone in front of our front door”. He rushed from his seat, his back aching. “Who was it”? He practically yelled. Morrigan shushed him rather loudly The com filled with the noise, making Jack grit his teeth. “Sorry”, he apologized. He whispered again, “Who was it”? Again, there was a pause. Jack was beginning to get impatient. “Just bring me there”, he said. “I can handle it”.   
He knew how Morrigan must've looked at that moment. A bunch of scenarios must be running through her mind of how this would play out. Jack knew, however, that he needed to see everything with his own eyes. To his favor, Morrigan agreed with him. “Get ready, first. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride”.  
Jack struggled when the Wunder took hold of him once more. It shone as bright as the Sun when it curled around his hands and feet. He closed his eyes tightly, scrunching up his face in distaste. He balled his hands into fists as he was lifted into the sky in the dead of night. The stars beamed onto his face as the cold air made him shiver.   
His hair brushed against his face on multiple occasions as he passed a group of Tricksy Lanes on his way to Bursly Cosmetics. One of them made his hands and feet grow limp. He found it hard to move, struggling under the invisible grip holding down his body.   
Jack was relieved when the Wunder began to take a different direction, leading him to a shopping complex. Bursly’s appeared in his view, and he was immediately hit with a pang of fear, as well as realization.   
What were he and Unit 919 even doing? Evading the law, keeping secrets from trusting adults, and lying to Jupiter of all people? They hadn’t thought this through because it was all happening so fast, but the events spanning the last few years had hit him like a lightning rod.   
He felt like a wreck as the doors of Bursly Cosmetics swung open, letting him in.   
The Wunder carried Jack to the back of the shop. He felt it with his hands, caressing the surprisingly cotton like texture. It felt like a fresh breeze had hit his hands. And for once, he felt at ease. He felt so at ease, that he didn’t notice the musty smell of the storage room. The stench smelled like bitter salt as he scrunched up his face. His clothes began to stick to his body, and he felt his breath grow hot.  
“What’s even supposed to happen”? He asked aloud, not expecting an answer. “Just wait”, Morrigan answered him. Jack, surprised from hearing her voice echo through the small room, stepped back towards a stack of boxes leaned against a wall. Without thinking, he looked across all four sides of the room. His eyes grew wide.  
Jack stared into the eyes of the printed picture of Ezra Squall. One of the thousand plastered across the walls. Each of them overlapped each other, barely covering his feet.   
Jack struggled to breathe before gulping up saliva. He had no time for this. He had to reach the Crow Quill, and this was the only way.

Jack waited until he felt a chill under his scrawny legs. He looked down, and came face to face with a large, ebony black hand. It swirled around his body, grabbing hold of his waist. He fought from struggling, letting it drag him beneath the floor. The Wunder followed in after him as the hand led him through a maze of tunnels. He passed pipes stuck to the wall, his feet growing cold.   
Suddenly, the hand threw him out of the tunnel. “Aaaaahhhhh”! Jack yelled, his breath caught in his throat. His arms flailed around as he landed on solid ground. He grunted, his body aching. He stood up slowly, finding himself in front of a large house surrounded by enough greenery to open a vegan restaurant (people went crazy for that these days).  
Through a window, Jack could see the light was on. He knocked against it, and moved away just as it blew open. Archan stood in front of him, an impatient look on his face. “Took you long enough”, he said. “Mog’s waiting”. He nodded sheepishly, throwing himself through the open window. 

He moved around the small space, finally landing on another hard floor. “Why does it feel like everything wants to kill me”? He asked himself. He felt his bruised head, a distasteful look on his face.  
“Maybe because you could’ve tried the door”? Someone said. Jack looked up to see Morrigan blocking his view. She smiled, holding out her hand for him. He reluctantly took it, and stood up.   
“So, what did you need”?

* * *

Morrigan led Jack into the dining room, where the man bundled in a blanket sat cross legged on an island chair. He leaned against the island, a cup of green tea in his trembling hands. He looked over at Jack, and immediately fell back against the ground.   
Morrigan groaned. “He’s been like this for some time now”. She looked at him expectantly. “Do you have any idea who he is”? Jack gave her a similar puzzled stare. “No idea. If I’d met him, I’d know him for sure”. 

“I’ll tell you who I am”! The man yelled. “That, and more”! Morrigan scrambled over to him, covering his mouth in anger. “Not so loud. Someone might hear you”!   
She moved aside a bit, letting him breath freely. “Now, tell us who you are, and why exactly you’re on our doorstep”. “Yeah”, Thaddea said from the other side of the room. “So I have a reason to pummel you before you try anything”.   
The mysterious man seated himself atop the chair, raising his head to face Morrigan and Jack.  
“My name is Sorenson Jones”, he said. “And I was on your doorstep because I’ve been trying to find you. Also, because I was being chased”.   
Morrigan felt an odd relation to that name. Sorenson Jones. Jones. She glanced at Jack, who gave her a look of panic, mixed with pure shock.

“By who, exactly”? Lambeth asked. Sorenson held his cup tighter. The question, Morrigan thought, seemed incredibly hard to answer. “By my older brother, Ezra”. 

Morrigan stepped back, her body shaking. Wunder exploded from her palm, without her even humming her chant. It blazed at attention, crowding around Sorenson like a horde of wasps.   
“Get that away from me”! He yelled. Thaddea chuckled, a smug grin on her face. “Maybe we should keep him like this”. 

“That’s enough”, Jack cried. “Why is your brother chasing you”? “More importantly”, Morrigan interrupted. “Isn’t he dead”?  
“I’ll answer all your questions”, Sorenson trembled. “Just get me some clothes and a bath! NOW!”

* * *

Jack sat across from Morrigan as Sorenson entered the room. Wearing clothes given to him by Hawthorne, he looked completely different than how he’d looked earlier. His hair was slicked back by a mountain of hair gel, and he wore a crisp blue suit with matching pants.   
Jack smiled. “You look better”. He pulled out a notebook and pen. Maybe it was his Witness powers, or just plain intuition, but he knew this man had information. A lot of information. Maybe even about Project Nevermore.

“I FEEL better”, Sorenson said. “So much better, that I’m ready to tell you everything I can”. That was when Thaddea clutched the top of his head with her rough hands. “Oh no, mister”, she said. “You’re telling us everything. I’m tired of adults only giving us half the info”.  
Jack tilted his head. “Huh, I actually agree with you, for once”. 

Sorenson grunted, latching his hands on Thaddea’s arm. “Okay, okay!” He yelled. “I’ll tell you everything. Just let me go”! Reluctantly, she released her hold on him, letting his head go limp.  
“My brother, Ezra, is trying to kill me”, he said after rubbing his head. “It’s because...I know something I’m not supposed to”. “What are you not supposed to know”? Jack inquired.

Sorenson gave him a look of annoyance, like he was angered for being interrupted.   
“I know that the Blood Quills are preparing to go to war with Nevermoor. To him, me knowing something like that is a death sentence. He knows how much I hate his work. He also knows that I’ll go to Crow Quill to tell them everything I know, because they’re the only group not aware of the war”.

Jack wrote what he could down in his small notebook. His heart raced like it would during the Battle of Christmas Eve. “Why is Crow Quill not involved”? Morrigan asked. She scooted closer to the man she had referred to years ago as ‘Mr. Jones’. Both of them knew it hadn’t been him, but he was glad Morrigan felt better regardless.  
“Crow Quill has no idea of the atrocities the other Quills have commited”, Sorenson answered. “The other Quills, meanwhile, have been preparing for this battle for years. The testament has only been written a few months ago. The coming battle will be on New Years Eve, and Nevermoor won’t even know it”!  
“So”, Jack thought aloud. “You think you can make an army out of Crow Quill”?  
“Definitely”, Sorenson answered. “If I tell them what I’ve found, we can help Nevermoor, and stop the four Quills. Crow Quill has always felt left out, so swaying them to my cause will be easy”.  
Jack hunched back, his head tilted in thought. “But how do you know whether or not someone’s going to tell the Leader about your plans”?

Sorenson’s mouth hung open, no words escaping his mouth. “I have… no idea”.  
Morrigan snapped at attention. She stood up on her toes, her gaze like a knife pushing through steel. “We can ask our friends to help out. I know they wouldn’t snitch after everything we’ve gone through together”!   
“We should also probably look closely at those papers you copied down”, Jack told her.  
At this, Sorenson piped up. “You saw the battle plans too?”  
“I did”, Morrigan smiled. “I can show them to you, and we can really get started”.  
So, Jack thought. 

They were really doing this...


	10. Sorenson Jones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was so late today. I had a bunch of work to do this week! I'm really excited about this chapter since its almost all about planning. I'm also sorry it's so short. I promise to make the next one bigger.  
> I started Hollowpox a few days ago, and as expected, it's a great read so far!   
> Enjoy the chapter, guys!

Morrigan smoothed out a sheet of Wunder on the dining room table. She hummed her tune, feeling a sweet release when using her powers. Sorenson stood beside her, his mouth gaped open in shock. Wunder reflected in his wide pupils.  
Morrigan was suddenly struck with the memory of Bid Day. She remembered meeting Mr. Jones(who turned out to be Ezra Squall), and feeling a sense of belonging and trust. She was looking at the first person to ever realize her potential. It was weird. He was Mr. Jones, but not the Mr. Jones she knew. That one had been a fake. But maybe, just maybe, she could cultivate a relationship with the real one.  
“Wow”, Mr. Jones inquired. Morrigan couldn’t help but refer to him by his surname. It felt right to her.  
“I hope this isn’t overwhelming for you, Mr. Jones”, she chuckled. He simply smiled. “Not at all. Actually, this could help us a lot”.  
Morrigan clasped her hands together, revealing a small orb of glowing Wunder. “So, you’re not scared”?  
Mr. Jones shook his head. “Why be afraid of such a beautiful gift”? Feeling giddy, Morrigan tucked the ball of Wunder away. “Thank you, Mr. Jo-”.  
“Yeah”, he interrupted. “You think you could call me Sorenson? Mr. Jones just makes me feel, like, REALLY old”.  
With a smile, Morrigan nodded her head. “Sorenson, then”.  
Interacting with the real Mr. Jones reminded her of the contract Ezra gave to her on Bid Day. How it told her to sign on the dotted line and become his apprentice. She wondered, nervously, how things would’ve turned out if she listened to him. If she had clutched one of her feather quills and written Morrigan Odelle Crow in a flourish at the very bottom of that page.   
Things would have been very different, she told herself. 

“Uh, hey Raven”? Sorenson asked her. Morrigan looked up at her new friend, a dazed look in her eyes. “You finished setting up a while ago”.  
She looked down at the dining table, finding every page contained in the file she found, layed out for everyone to see. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Sorry”. Morrigan stretched out a black hair tie. She tied her now longer black hair in a ponytail.   
“Okay”, she said. “Now we’re ready. Come on everybody”.  
The group of eleven converged around the dining room table. Each of them edged forward to canvas the testament and battle plans. Morrigan glanced at Thaddea, who looked deep in thought. She held onto one corner of the page closest to her.   
“This…”, she started. “This is definitely a battleship”. She pointed to the large ship towering over a sketch of Nevermoor. A horde of drawn soldiers stood at attention inside it, wearing detailed uniforms with masks. Each of them held a type of weapon.  
Morrigan gulped. She stared attentively at the city of Nevermoor, her eyes falling on the lean building of Hotel Deucalion. She said nothing, her mind sinking away from the distant voices of her friends. They sounded so far away to her now. Like garbles from underwater. She didn’t try to hear them. Instead, she pictured the faces of her patron and family through the sketched window.   
How were they doing? Were they eating enough? Had they been spacing out like her? Morrigan desperately wanted to know the answers to all her questions.   
Instead, she pushed herself back to reality. She couldn’t keep spacing out like that. Not if she wanted to return to her family someday.   
She looked to the page nearest to her, the one with extremely detailed dragons. Tracing her fingers along the pigments, she counted sixteen dragons; ten of them surrounding six others.   
Morrigan smirked. “I’ve already got a bunch of ideas”. At this, the unit’s heads perked up. They stared at her, eager to hear what she had to say.

Morrigan pointed at the ten dragons she noticed earlier. “What if we get ten crow members to replace ten soldiers? Then, they’ll be able to circle the six other dragon and dragon riders”? She then pointed at the huddled image of six dragons. “That’ll already make us have an advantage in the sky”.

She traded glances with Thaddea. “What do you think”? Thaddea placed her fingers on her chin in thought. Her brows furrowed intensely, like they did whenever she was thinking long and hard about something.   
“It’s definitely gonna take some work to execute”, she informed her. “But, I really think this could work if they practice changing clothes quickly”.

Morrigan beamed. She had never been a fan of politics or war strategies during her time at Crow Manor, so this plan of hers was just from the top of her head. She smiled, feeling giddy as she looked at the next page.  
“Looks like they’ll be sorted into teams”, Mahir noticed. He and Franics counted ten in each group.   
“They’ll be spread across each key section of Nevermoor, meeting at Courage Square to make their declaration of take over”. Sorenson nodded in understanding and added “We have to make sure at least three Crow Quill members are in each group. Anyone know how many members of the other quills there are”?  
Hawthorne leaned forward so he could see him. “There are fifty members in each Quill, apart from Eagle Quill”! He was met with silence. Morrigan’s brow furrowed in question. “What”? He said. “People talk”.  
“Why is Eagle Quill so Important”? Thaddea asked aloud. “They’re always separate from the other quills. Like they’re on some kind of pedestal, or something”. Sorenson looked at them, tongue tied. “The Eagle Quill”, he started. “Is only filled with the founders of the Blood Quills. They’re said to be the most powerful members. Corrupt politicians, gang leaders, even remnants of The Ghastly Market”.  
Morrigan shuddered at the name. The Ghastly Market was her first introduction to the dark side of Nevermoor. When she watched the smiles of crooked individuals curl up at the sight of Wunsoc members tied to posts, chained to the ground, and even dead. She knew from then on, never to underestimate this city again.   
The page in the center was what Morrigan was most concerned about. It was a map of Nevermoor, detailing every Tricksy Lane, building, brolly station, and Wunsoc meet up. It all enveloped Courage Square.   
Morrigan, however, saw a slight change there.  
“There are super huge cages here”, Cadence pointed. She was right. Large cages, that probably were as tall as the Hotel Deucalion, towered over the city. A hook line connected them each to a helicopter that hovered in the air, ready to take them anywhere it pleased. In this case, that would be the Blood Quills headquarters.   
“I overheard my brother one day”, Sorenson lowered his voice as if on instinct. “Talking about how he’d turn every person who wasn’t in favor of his rule into a slave. That’s what these cages are for. To transport the slaves to Eagle Quill for assigned work”.   
“What about the people who are compliant”? Jack asked in a monotone voice. “What happens to them”? Sorenson stared at the wall behind Hawthorne. He always seems to have a faraway look in his eyes, Morrigan thought.   
“They get to live their lives”. He stated. “But they do it under the control of Ezra Squall. He decides what they eat, what they drink, what they wear, everything”!  
The unit fell silent. Morrigan’s mind was overwhelmed with the thought of Nevermoor, her beautiful city, taken over by a tyrant like Squall. What intrigued her even more though, was-  
“Didn’t Ezra die”? Jack, once again the voice of Morrigan’s head, asked. “Mog told us that Hedgewig said he disappeared one day and was never heard from”.  
Sorenson hunkered down his head. He pouted a bit, until looking up at Unit 919. “He had to disappear completely”, he said. “Because he noticed you were getting stronger”. This is when he looked at Morrigan directly. No glances, no corner looks.   
“He thought that if he gave you a bunch of his Wunder, you’d become so overwhelmed and be eaten up by it”. Then, he smiled. “But, I guess he underestimated how determined you were to master The Wretched Arts”.

Anah broke the silence. “How exactly are we going to bring the Nevermoorians to safety? The city will be packed, so there won’t be any safe spots”.  
Morrigan squinted at the map once more. This time, she looked to the outskirts of the city. She pictured bright, flowing grass that just barely reached the knees.   
“I got it”! She said. “I can make a giant force field of Wunder on the farthest outskirts of Nevermoor. We can use the dragons as transportation”. Her mind building up with more ideas, she traced her fingers along various streets and pathways.Thanks to Henry Mildmay’s avid teachings, as well as Morrigan’s eagerness to learn them, she was a master at cartography. She pictures the glimmering city of Nevermoor, filled with magic and Wunder. Each store, neighborhood, and business laid out in front of her like a flattened tapestry. 

“We’ll take everyone there and provide them with food and water, and have them wait out until the battle ends”. She looked at her best friend eagerly. “Hawthorne, I believe it's a given that you should lead the other nine dragon riders”. At this, Hawthorne nodded his head in agreement. He smiled excitedly, a glimmer in his eyes.   
Morrigan tilted her head at the picture with the sketched army. “We’ll also need some kind of sign. A signal to know who’s with us and who isn’t”. She slumped down on one of the dining room chairs, sinking beneath the cushion. “But what”?  
“Its gotta be discrete”, Thaddea added. “Something unnoticeable to the other Quills”.   
Sorenson put his hand under his chin in thought. “What about a phrase”, he said. “Something that relates to Crow Quill that only we know”.

At this, Unit 919, Jack, and Sorenson Jones thought long and hard about the phrase. Something subtle, not noticeable, Morrigan kept telling herself. Something small, not too big,   
Finally, after what felt like hours(it was ten minutes), she knew what that phrase would be.   
“A weapon”, she said. “We’ll have the same weapon”. Thaddea smiled thoughtfully. “Which one, though”?   
“Easy. A malet, just the right size for each of them”.

* * *

Jack watched as Morrigan’s Wunder absorbed the parchment papers. He yawned, obviously sleep deprived.   
“I’ll get you home”, she said. Jack smiled gratefully as he stretched his arms and legs. He yawned once more, his mouth starting to hurt. “That’s kind of you”, he said. “But, can you make sure to be more gentle? I still have a headache from last time”.  
Morrigan nodded solemnly. With a flourish, she pulled off her loose hair tie and tied it back in a ponytail. She let her soft, tarlike hair fall loosely on her shoulders and back as she stretched her arms out.   
“Get ready”, she said, confidence radiating from her determined smirk. Jack couldn’t help but smile. He, the unit, and now Sorenson were in a tough situation, but they still had each other. To him, that was what mattered the most.  
Morrigan moved her fingers smoothly like silk along the air. When she opened her mouth, a light tune fluttered out.  
“Morningtide’s child is merry and mild”. She sang the words softly, letting each one linger for just a bit longer. Jack stared in awe as already, shimmering sparks of Wunder exploded from her palms. It swirled under him, lifting him up as if he were light as a feather.   
“Eventide’s child is wicked and wild”. A slight chill filled the air as Jack was hefted up into the air by a cloud of Wunder. The sound of his friend’s bittersweet voice hadn’t yet left his mind.   
After three years, they were all tired. None of them could sleep, and every time they woke up, they felt nauseous. It was like at any moment, the secret of Unit 919 would be spilled out like water for all to see.   
Jack held onto air as he was whisked past ivy vines. He ducked below a cart as Nevermoor’s towering buildings were already in sight. She’s gotten good, he thought. I guess Vigil was a great teacher after all.

The blinding lights of lamp posts filled Jack’s line of sight as he closed in on his home. He heard the faint clack of horse Unnimals, his body jolting upright. “Damnit”, he whispered. “Not today, not today, not-”  
As if listening to his complaints, the Wunder swerved behind a tall building, hiding amongst the shadows. He sighed in relief, nudging the Wunder to move forward towards the Hotel.  
Thankfully, it was still pitch black once he reached it. Absentmindedly, Jack perched on his windowsill, slowly making his way over to his bed. The Wunder shook giddily, as if to say goodbye. He smiled, giving it a wave before it departed back to his owner.  
Jack yawned and ducked under the covers. He could almost close his eyes, when he heard a loud thud! Come from outside his bedroom door.   
Huh? He thought to himself. Why is someone else awake?  
Jack crept out of bed and fumbled with his hands as he held the doorknob tightly. He pressed his face against the hard wood of the door. Holding his breath, he waited.  
Tap, tap, tap.  
Tap, tap tap.  
Tap, tap tap.  
Once the sounds reached a farther distance, Jack slowly opened the door. His head jerked up, as if on instinct. No giant cats, or crazy vampire dwarfs.

He sighed once more before clamping his mouth shut. He jolted upright when he saw that Jupiter’s office door was open, spewing with light.   
Jack heard small voices on the other side of the door. Low ones.

“Jupiter, listen”.  
“Address me as Mr. North”.  
Jack gulped. His uncle sounded unfazed. His voice was flat, with none of its usual rhythm. He knew that bringing Morrigan back was the only thing that could thaw his frozen demeanor. However, unbeknownst to him, a war was coming. A big one, that only Unit 919 could stop. He knew it was selfish of him, of all of them to be hiding, but it was the only way to keep things calm until then.   
Jack turned on his feet and walked into his room, leaving his uncle’s now distant voice.   
I’m sorry, Uncle Jove, he thought. But, you have to wait for just a bit longer.  
Jack slumped onto his bed, pressing down on the mattress. He stared up at his bedroom ceiling, a chill running down his spine.   
He didn;t know if he could fully trust Sorenson Jones. Not by a long shot. But, he knew that after the incident with Squall, Morrigan had become a better judge of character. She could pick up social cues and secrets from a mile away, especially from Jupiter.   
Jack trusted his friend. If she thought Ezra Squall’s brother was there to help them, then he was willing to go along with her.

* * *

Black mist swirled around him. Outside, the Sun was emerging on the horizon. A new day had begun, but his head stuck with his thoughts from before. He sat behind his desk, papers covering his line of sight like a blanket.  
“S-Sorenson is m-missing”, the voice called to him with its bellowing voice. It stammered once it came up to him, shaking violently.  
He smiled, a maniacal grin emerging from his small mouth. He clasped his hands together, rubbing them until they became red-hot. Slowly, he unclasped his hands. Between his palms, laid a glowing orb of magical light. It nearly blinded the shadows covering his small room.   
Suddenly, the magic started to shake. He felt its fear, its resentment. Its pain. It begged with him, pleading to be set free.  
He smiled even wider. He relished the energy he was feeding off of. He latched on to it, like a vile parasite.  
“Let’s see how this plays out”, he whispered, delighted.  
It shook one of its many covered heads timidly. Slowly, it seeped out of the room, leaving the smell of dying magic in its wake.


	11. How To Help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He ya'll! Sorry about not updating last week. I had major writer's block and didn't feel like writing, but I'm back now! Hollowpox is going great, as expected, and I'm really excited to read the rest(I'm savoring it (; ). Aside from that, please enjoy the chapter!

Jack grimaced when he saw his uncle’s now frail body walk down a flight of stairs. His skin was pale, his lips chapped. He hadn’t combed his hair in weeks, not even for his meetings with The Wundrous Society. His clothes clung to his skin, sweat beading down his forehead like a rushing waterfall. 

Jack was scared to turn around and look at the faces of other onlookers. He imagined looks of pity, some of worry, and some, even of fear. He could never blame them, though. Jupiter had resorted to yelling at his employees from time to time. His brows would arch up in distaste while he muttered heaven knows what to himself.   
Nevermoor had clung to an invisible darkness after the disappearance of its newest Wundrous Society unit. The streets grew cold, and were usually deserted during the day.   
After the second month of the unit’s disappearance, the Stink and Stealth made missing people posters. Some had sprawled onto the ground after recent storms. Some nestled in small trees and bushes, the leaves enveloping them in tight hugs.  
The Wunsoc campuses had been hysteric. Members raced across the free state, searching high and low. Some even gambled to search in The Wintersea Republic for the gang of talented individuals. The elders-to no one’s surprise-maintained calm dispositions while organizing search parties and signs. Even The League of Explorers tasked themselves with traveling to distant lands in hopes of finding ANYTHING.  
However, it wasn’t enough. The search parties had slowly begun to die down. Nevermoor’s faith in finding the children had diminished over time. Not a scrap of evidence could be located.

Jack made sure of that.

After graduating from Graysmark with top scores, he decided to lay low at the hotel while pretending to think about his future. To be fair, he WAS thinking about the future. Unit 919’s and his future.  
They had many conversations where they introduced the hard to swallow topic, but both sides brushed it off, each coming up with excuses. They were good excuses, but excuses nonetheless.  
“Jack”, Jupiter asked him, his eyes glowing bright with newfound hope. “Did they find anything”? Jack had recently come back from the Nevermoor Police Department at his uncle’s request. He had been asked to see if the officers had found any new information, like a lead to where they were, or, a trail of peculiar clues.This had gone on for the last three years without fail. 

“No, Uncle Jove”, Jack replied automtically. “They haven’t found anything”. His uncle balled his hands into fists. His hard knuckles became a glossy white. “Of course they couldn’t”, he sneered between his teeth. “Those good-for-nothings never do their job right”.  
Jack grimaced a bit at his uncle’s harsh words. The police were doing all they could, it was him who was tampering with the investigation. 

“Look, Jupiter”, he said. “Maybe you should relax. I-”.   
“No”, Jupiter interrupted. “No way am I relaxing with Morrigan in potential danger”.

You have no idea…

He tried again. “Jupiter, you have to relax for at least a day. If Morrigan were ever to find out…”, he left the rest out purposefully. Jack studied his uncle’s face and body movements. He himself knew his body couldn’t handle the stress, yet that didn’t seem to matter to him.  
Finally, Jupiter looked his nephew in the eye, his mouth twisted into a frown. “I decide when we get to relax, Jack”, he muttered. “And I say we don’t relax until Morrigan is where she belongs. At the hotel, with us”.   
With that, Jupiter exited into the dining hall. His long legs took fearfully small strides.  
Jack sighed in exhaustion. Well, he supposed this was on him.

* * *

Morrigan glided a quill over the parchment paper, creating bold strokes as she wrote. Her forehead grew hot as stress began to creep up her body. She forced herself to write the final sentence and leaned back in her seat.   
She studied the lettering as Sorenson erupted from his seat on the living room couch.  
He glided over to her, eager to see what she had written. “So”? He inquired. Morrigan held up the letter and let him read it to himself. He showed various expressions, some of shock, some of uncertainty, and some of hope.

“This is great work, Raven”, Sorenson exclaimed. He had been instructed by the unit to call them by their code names during his time in The Blood Quill sector. He’d call Thaddea ‘Thad’ to spite her, though.  
“Thanks, Sorenson”, Morrigan replied. “Now I have to make a bunch of copies”.  
“Why do we have to do this anonymously”? Francis asked. He stood over the kitchen stove, holding a pan that hovered above the blazing fire. “Why can’t we just meet the Crow Quill members as Unit 919”?  
Morrigan and Sorenson exchanged glances. She smiled coyly. “It’s just in case some members try to snitch on our plans. “They won’t know it’s us, so we won’t get in trouble”.  
“Will anyone agree with us, though”? Francis asked again. He delicately turned off the stove, relishing the smell of the mysterious dish. “They don’t seem like the ‘hero’ types”.

Morrigan thought it over in her head. She didn’t answer his question.   
Scratch!  
Her eyes widened as a screech sounded from beyond the front door. She fought the urge to groan. What’s with all the visitors?  
Scratch!  
She scrunched her nose until it felt cold. Her teeth chattered in mild fright. She wasn’t sure of where the fright had come from, though.  
“Uh, Ray”? Francis asked Morrigan in a worried tone. “Do you not want to answer that, or…”?  
Sorenson suddenly beamed. His eyes lit up like fireworks. He smiled broadly, his shoulders held up slightly. He seemed...happy for some reason.

“What’s up with you”? Morrigan asked her new friend. “Were you expecting someone”? Sorenson smiled widely, nodding his head as if it were about to explode.   
“Wait here”! He said in a giddy manner. He stepped lightly toward the front door as if he were a completely different person.   
Francis was beside Morrigan now, rubbing his hands with a small towel. He looked at the peculiar man with a puzzled look. “Shouldn’t we be getting ready”? He asked.   
Morrigan sighed. “He seems excited, so let’s just relax for a bit”. He nodded automatically.

Sorenson thrust open the front door of Unit 919’s new home to reveal... a cat?  
That was nothing, though. What DID surprise the two unit members was when the cat talked.

“So this is where you’ve been”, he said. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you”?   
Sorenson kneeled before the cat, his hands stretching out for the creature. Morrigan leaned forward from behind his back, gazing down at him. His fur was a deep black, his eyes a creamy yellow with small black slits in the middle. His tail fluttered like a flower petal as he walked up his owner’s arm reluctantly.   
“Sorry, Al”, Sorenson said. Morrigan’s eyes widened in surprise. He was acting like a flabbergasted child now, treating the black cat like his elder.

He turned to her, ‘Al’ perched on his broad shoulders. He smiled softly at Morrigan’s shocked face.  
“Raven, Chemist”, he pointed to each of them as he said their codenames. “I’d like you both to meet Albert. He’s my pet”.  
“I go by Al for short”, the cat spoke in an annoyed tone, insinuating that he clearly didn’t like his full name.  
He turned his small, furry head toward Morrigan and Francis, his clear eyes stopping to look at her. Morrigan felt embarrassed to admit she felt intimidated by his gaze. His bright eyes pierced through her skin like a cold, sharp knife. A light breeze came in contact with her face, as if the cold had followed Al into their home.  
Suddenly, Al’s eyes glistened in intrigue. Morrigan even saw them sparkle. 

“Who is this angel”? He whispered to Sorenson, though Morrigan could still hear him. “This...angel dressed in ebony black, with skin as pale as vanilla! With eyes as dark as ink! With-”.  
“He likes you, Raven”. Sorenson interrupted his cat’s poetic speech, his eyes tired. “A lot”.  
“A lot”? Al snooted in disbelief. He jumped slightly from Sorenson’s shoulder to Morrigan’s, a smile erupting from his furry lips. “I have never seen such beauty, such, marvelousness”! He held his head high, as if he were a regal monarch. His ears perked up slightly, his chest puffed out proudly.  
“Don’t mind him”, Sorenson chuckled as he took Al from Mog’s shoulder. “He...gets like that sometimes”.  
“Hey, it’s fine”, Morrigan replied. She grazed Al’s soft fur, smiling in delight. “You wanna bring him to the meeting tonight”?

Al perked up at the word, ‘meeting’. “What exactly have you been up to, Jones”?  
Morrigan stroked Al’s fur once more and said, “It’s a long story. All you need to know for now is that we need help anonymously handing out these letters”. She gestured toward a large stack of handwritten letters, sitting neatly on the dining room table.   
Francis cringed. “You’ve been working too hard, Raven”, he said kindly. “We’ll find some way to hand these out, just eat the lunch I made”.  
Morrigan lifted her chin, the smell of cheddar cheese filling her small nostrils. Her stomach growled loudly. 

“Well, I could use a break”.

Sorenson looked to Al thoughtfully, an idea blossoming in his mind. As if the cat knew what he was thinking, he stepped back abruptly, almost falling from his owner’s shoulder. “Don’t”, he yelled. “Don’t you even think about-”.

“Thanks for volunteering, Al”, Sorenson patted his friend’s head, grinning widely. “You’ll be passing out the letters for us”.  
Al glared at him, his claws threatening to sink into his skin. His yellow eyes seemed delighted in that thought. 

Morrigan thought it over before agreeing, and placed the letters on the cat’s soft back. She placed a band around them so they wouldn’t fall apart. “Careful now”, she added. “The meeting’s happening after dinner time, we need this to be perfect”.  
Al nodded solemnly, and leapt from his owner’s shoulder, into the afternoon light. Morrigan, on the other hand, went to ask Jack for a favor.

* * *

“Thank you so much, Jack”! Morrigan smiled at her friend, wearing a tight, black jumpsuit similar to her friends’. Jack helped tie her shiny, black hair into a neat ponytail, letting it drag along her back. He smiled when the rest of Unit 919 exited their rooms, feeling the cotton fabric.  
“We should leave through the back”, he advised them, pointing toward the back door at the end of the hallway. “That way, no one’ll see us”.   
“Where would we be without you”? Sorenson asked jokingly. He held a pouch of cat food in his hands as Al nibbled on it vigorously.   
“Who knows”? Jack replied. “Also, why do you have a cat”? When Morrian contacted him about disguises, he didn’t expect to find ANOTHER house guest rooming with them. But, Morrigan tended to surprise him.  
Said cat glared at him, his pearly yellow eyes staring through him. “I’ll have you know, I have a name”.  
Jack did know he had a name, he just purposefully didn’t use it.   
“So, are we ready”? Morrigan stretched out her arms after tying a black fabric around her mouth. She stood proudly, gazing into a mirror that stood in a corner. Her friends gave her a thumbs up, doing the same. 

“Then, let’s go”!

Unit 919, accompanied by Jack, as well as two new companions, crept out of their pavilion. The night air poured down on Jack’s face, like rushing water. He rubbed his arms quickly, a warm sensation covering the cold one. 

They walked briskly to Vandal Square, the center of the Crow Quill housing ground. A large group of Crow members were already filing into the area, squinting for any signs of movement.   
Jack held his breath, a feeling of dread beginning to creep down his back. He felt a tug on his shoulder, it was Mog. “Don’t worry”, she said. “We’ll be fine”.  
He knew she was lying. He knew that facing a huge number of Blood Quill members was like a death sentence, but he ignored those thoughts. They wouldn’t help, anyway.  
He heard the chatter of different Quill members as they gossipped about the mysterious letters they received. The unit’s friends, Hedgewig, Malet, and Vigil, met at the back of the group. They scanned the surrounding area, their minds deep in thought.  
“Where’s 919”? Jack heard Hedgewig whisper. His scrawny body shivered against the cold. “No idea”, Vigil answered. “Actually, I haven’t heard from them in days. I’ve seen them around, but they just do their missions and come right back home”.  
Jack was surprised at that. His friends used to be so outgoing and social, but now they were complete outsiders. He noticed that Morrigan talked less and less. Because of that, he relied on her facial expressions and gestures when it came to conversation.  
“Only some of us should go out there”, Morrigan whispered. “If all nine of us go together, our identities will be obvious”.   
Jack nodded in agreement, and proceeded to think it over. Thaddea and Morrigan were a must, since they had been planning this out for some time now. So was Sorenson, so he was needed as well. Hawthorne was also needed, since, well, dragons.  
“What about the rest of us”? Anah asked in a hushed tone.   
“You guys should work on the demands you’ve received”. The unit had indeed been receiving demands while preparing for that fateful day, so they had to be on their toes, and precise about what they did. 

“Alright, that settles it, then”, Jack exclaimed. He then gave Morrigan a look of desperate encouragement.   
“Now to sway an entire group of criminals into our ridiculous ploy”!

* * *

Jupiter stared aimlessly at his nephew while trying to complete hotel paperwork. He rubbed his temples, a headache grazing his forehead.   
Jack had seemed…different these past few days. He was more tired and stressed than usual, and it was extremely off putting to him. The boy was usually optimistic, telling him that Mog wouldn’t like him lazing around like a dog. However, it seemed that he was in need of that conversation now. 

Jupiter immediately set down his quill when Jack’s hands hit the floor, dangling from the couch he was laying on. Saliva dribbled out of his mouth as he mumbled about ‘ravens’ and ‘New-Years-Eve’.   
“Jack”? Jupiter asked aloud. His nephew responded by humming.  
“John Korapati”! He yelled, his nostrils flaring in annoyance. 

Jack sat up stiffly, rubbing his eyes vigorously. He noticed the saliva and blushed slightly. This wasn’t like him, Jupiter thought. His nephew was usually stoic and uptight, like a regal lion. It seemed to him that Morrigan’s disappearance was affecting them in different ways.  
“I can talk to you, if you want”? He asked. It was obviously a lie. He didn’t feel like talking about her more than he had to.   
Jack looked over at Jupiter, his brown hair packed together like a bird’s nest. “Jupiter?” He asked suddenly. Jupiter’s head swerved to him like bees to pollen. He smiled slightly. “Are we doing anything for New Years?”  
The question was...unexpected, to say the least. He was suddenly reminded of what Jack was mumbling in his sleep. New Years…

“I suppose”, he answered. “Probably a party or something”. Jupiter didn’t really want to go to said party, but it was his duty as a member of The Wundrous Society to participate in Nevermoor’s most important traditions(whether he wanted to or not).  
Suddenly, Jack gave him a panicked expression. His eyes blazed with fear, and Jupiter could see yellow mist surround his nephew’s body. He sat up straighter.   
“What’s wrong, Jack?” was all he could muster.  
Jack clammed up, sweat covering his face like a mask. He staggered out of his office, leaving his brolly and jacket behind. He had begun to do this a lot recently, a feat he had never performed before.

How peculiar, Jupiter thought to himself. He picked up his quill and continued to write, nonetheless. He felt ashamed. His nephew was obviously stressed about something. He could tell by the way he had been acting. But he was too tired to do anything about it.  
Morrigan would know what to do, he thought. Yes, she would. She’d go straight to his room, and demand to be let in. She’d hog his bed until he would tell her what was bothering him. No matter how small it was, Morrigan would listen with gleaming eyes. Her hair would sway around as she’d concoct a way to make Jack feel better. That was how she was.

Jupiter felt himself smile before frowning once more. He rested his tired head on his desk, ignoring the paperwork, and fell into a blissful sleep. One that he hadn’t had in ages.

Morrigan will wake him up.

* * *

He marked the calendar as if it were leading to his birthday, a delighted smirk plastered on his face. Wunder crowded around him like an audience. It blazed about, knocking down tapestries and furniture as it went. 

Unit 919 had miraculously gathered an army in Crow Quill. He hadn’t expected them to join so easily. However, he suspected that them not being included in the battle plans must’ve helped to motivate them. 

He originally wanted to stop this little rebellion. To bring the unit to his feet as he drained the power out of the only other Wundersmith in existence. 

Now, however, things were different. He wanted to see how things would play out. Of course, he was going to win. There was no doubt about that. But, he wanted to see how much potential The Raven really had. He wanted to witness the full power of Unit 919, and crush it under his strong hands.

Light danced in his eyes as he imagined the ruins of Nevermoor after he was finished with it. He couldn’t wait for fire to glisten across each building. He couldn’t wait for screams to engulf the streets until there was nothing left. But most of all, he couldn’t wait to choke the last bit of breath out of his brother’s throat.   
The Wunder shivered under his gaze. He felt it grow hot to the touch and sneered. “You’ll regret doing that”, he said. It began to burn after that, each spark of it lighting up like fire. It buzzed about, clamping up like fur. 

He banged his hands down onto the table in front of him. He gritted his teeth and watched the Wunder grow still before the clumps separated. The burning stopped abruptly, a cold breeze rushing through the open window behind him.

He quickly absorbed the Wunder, a scowl crossing his face. 

It was growing rebellious, he thought. He couldn’t have that.


	12. Dragon Riding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 12! I just wanted to say that I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story. Please leave a comment, I really love reading them!

Morrigan clasped a sliver of Wunder against her cool palm, aming it at the assassin chef in a threatening manner. Vigil stood beside her, a baton in her hand.   
“We know you and the other chefs were assigned by The Eagle Quill”, Morrigan sneered. “We know you were going back to their headquarters just now to fill them in on our little meeting”.  
The chef struggled against Vigil’s hard grip, a scowl on her face. She didn’t say a word.  
“We’ve got nothin’ outta this one”, Vigil sighed. “Just another mindless follower”.   
“Why are YOU in on this?” One of the chefs asked. She twisted her wrist in order to free herself from a rope around her hands, but was caught by Thaddea, who detained her. “You had it just fine before that mysterious group talked about a war against Nevermoor! Now you’re willing to help? Why, did you have a sudden change of heart?”

Morrigan had certainly hoped that was the case.  
“I didn’t decide to help because I had a change of heart”, Vigil said, her eyebrows creasing in disgust. It was a start, Morrigan thought. “Me and the rest of Crow Quill decided to help because we don’t like people who look down on us”. She glared at the Eagle Quill pin resting on the chef’s hat. “If anyone uses us, we’ll just take our gifts to the other side”.  
The chef lunged at Vigil, who swiftly moved past her. A petite Crow Quill member named ‘Poison’ slipped between her legs, hitting her left calf with a dart. The assassin chef fell to the cold floor, clutching her leg like a baby.

“What a kid”, Hedgewig chuckled. He turned to Morrigan, who let her Wunder drift back inside her body. “Hey Raven, were you at that weird meeting too?”  
“I was.” She wasn’t lying. Kind of.   
“Huh”, Hedgewig replied. “I guess I didn’t see you.”  
Malet entered the dining hall, dragging his namesake on the floor. 

“I just cleaned that!” One of the janitors grumbled under their breath as they started to mop the contaminated floor. “Should we trust him?” Vigil whispered to Morrigan. “He could also be an Eagle Quill spy. Or even a spy from the other factions.”  
Morrigan shook her head. “If he was”, she started. “He wouldn’t be this close to us when we’ve captured the assassin chefs.”  
Static began to fill the right side of her ear, like a horde of bees. She began to lift her hand to press it on instinct, but remembered that others were in the room. Excuse me for a minute.”  
She walked out of the room, despite her excitement, and made her way back to her house. It was pretty much her house now, since she had been living in it for so long. It felt weird to see it that way, but truth be told, it felt like home to her.   
Morrigan entered through the back door, and was suddenly hit with another static sound. She tapped the com device thrice, and was finally able to hear the other side. It was Hawthorne. “Hey, Raven”, he yelled. She could feel him smiling brightly from here.  
“Hey Rider.”  
“How did the retrieval mission go?”  
Morrigan pouted. “About as good as you would expect. We were able to trap the assassin chefs, but they still won’t tell us anything else about Project Nevermore.”  
She heard Hawthorne grunt in dismay, and softened. “Enough about me, how’s your demand going?” Her friend stammered. He had been tasked to locate a missing Owl Quill member who hadn’t been communicating with them, and seemed to have found her.   
“She’s not-grunt-really-grunt-complying with me-grunt.”   
“Well I’m sure you’ll be able to finish that and...come right back here for dragon riding lessons.”  
According to Thaddea, in order for their plan to work, they needed almost full control of sky territory. They had to have control of at least the ten large dragons that surrounded the six smaller dragons. But, none of them really knew how to ride a dragon.  
“We can start with training tomorrow if you’re not up for it”, Morrigan told him. He was obviously exhausted. He should rest first, and then begin training.  
“Nope”, Hawthorne answered. “I said I’d start teaching today, so I’ll start teaching today.”  
Morrigan smiled. “Then get done with that mission, and come on home!”

* * *

Jack read over the battle plan notes one more time before stowing them away in his bottom drawer. A pit formed in his stomach as he glanced at his calendar. The last day of the year, he thought. That’s when this battle was going to happen.   
Jack left his room, a solemn look in his eyes. He stared down at the floor as if he wasn’t going to see it again. He honestly thought that would happen. 

It was a quiet day in the hotel. Most of the guests had departed to their own homes. Others had begun to wander about the city of Nevermoor as tourists.   
Staff members like Martha and Charlie walked about the ground floor. Charlie hefted up a small suitcase and thrusted it into the arm of a departing guest. He avoided eye contact. Martha quietly rolled her food cart up the stairs, a sad look on her face.   
Frank had been out here a few days ago, but retreated to The Smoking Parlor. He hadn’t planned a party in a while. Even if he did, Jack doubted anyone would go without the calm ebony eyes of a now seventeen year old girl. He felt bad about knowing her whereabouts and not telling anyone, especially when she first left. But now wasn’t a good time to admit his betrayal. A war was brewing, one that the citizens of Nevermoor, including The Wundrous Society, were not aware of.   
They obviously won’t believe me if I told them about the war, anyway, Jack thought. To them, I’m some recently graduated Witness who has no idea what to do in his life. A poor, misguided teenager who lost his best friend at such a young age. Yep, they wouldn’t believe him one bit.

* * *

Morrigan’s Wunder-constructed dragon elevated Hawthorne off solid ground. The nine chosen Crow Quill members stared in awe at The Rider’s skills as he latched onto the creature.   
The dragon performed a loop-de-loop, wind running through it’s rider’s hair. Hawthorne laughed heartily as he dipped his head closer to the large neck in front of him.  
“You’ve got to become one with your dragon”, he yelled from his place in the air. “You can still create a connection even when you don’t know the dragon, which is what you’ll need in order to ride the battle dragons on December thirty-first.”  
Hawthorne kept his feet in place as they threatened to wave about against the harsh winds of the evening. He smiled as he felt Morrigan’s watchful gaze, her grin brimming with pride.   
He landed the dragon in mere seconds, his breathing quickening. He felt his body roll over onto the ground.   
“Oops”, he exclaimed. “Sorry, haven’t felt this way in years!’ Truth be told, he was only reciting the things his patron, Nancy Dawson, told him in his studies.   
Morrigan walked up to him and gave him a high five after he yelled, “Who wants to go first?”  
During the meeting with the rest of Crow Quill, he and the other masked figures had announced that Unit 919 would be in charge of preparing them for the war. Of course, that would start more rumors. But they didn’t have time for rumors right now.   
Hedgewig, one of the members he had chosen to ride a dragon, stepped up to the creature. It loomed over him like a pillar as the Wunder it was made of glimmered against the dim afternoon light.  
Hawthorne smiled. “Just treat it like you would a friend. Graze your hand against its scales gently.” He emphasized the word ‘gently’ for good reason. The first time Nancy had told him to do so, he completely disobeyed her orders and grasped onto the scales of a baby dragon. Needless to say, he had bruises on his arms for days.  
“That’s it, you’re getting it”, Morrigan praised Hedgewig as he held the dragon’s reins steadily. She and Hawthorne watched as the glimmering mass began to hover above the ground. It cast a large shadow over the other riders.   
“Wahoo!” Hedgewig whooped as the Wunder dragon soared into the air. The wind shook against the throttle, causing both Hawthorne and Morrigan to feel refreshed.   
Hawthorne glanced at his friend. “Do you really think we’ll be able to do this?” He said. “We’re just one group of teenagers who left their home. If these people find out that we were those masked individuals, they’ll think we were spies sent from The Wundrous Society. Not that they aren’t already thinking that….”.  
He paid attention to Morrigan’s facial expressions. Her eyebrow creased up in fright. She averted his gaze and stared at the ground. It seemed like she had felt the same way, so why was she acting so confident before?

“It doesn’t matter now”, she started, interrupting Hawthorne’s thoughts. “We are the only Nevermoorians who know about Project Nevermore. If we indirectly send this information to Nevermoor’s leaders, then chaos might ensue. The responsibility of Nevermoor’s safety falls on us because of this.”

Hawthorne stared at her, his eyes widened. She seemed like a totally different person, a non-corrupt politician. He was sure she was reciting something she had heard her father say back in The WIntersea Republic, her old home.   
Hawthorne smiled at her. His friend was the smartest person he knew. 

“That was amazing!” Hedgewig cried. Hawthorne had only just noticed he was back down. “I think I’ve really got the hang of this!”   
Morrigan smiled. “That’s great to hear. With a bit more prep, you’ll do great in the sky!” She flicked her fingers around, moving the Wunder into a circular formation. Slowly, she sucked the stream of Wunder back into her hand.   
“Keep going, and we’ll be able to save Nevermoor.”

* * *

Jupiter began to notice it more now. How his nephew fidgeted with his fingers whenever he walked through Nevermoor. He not only had a rough cloud enveloping his small head, but also had a curly, black mist swirling around his arms, legs, and knees.  
Whenever the two of them would visit the NPD, Jack would mutter something under his breath. It was low, almost in a whisper, but he could hear the words, “...when that time comes, they won’t stand a chance”.

Jupiter also noticed that Jack was staying in his bedroom for long periods of time. This had never happened before, as his nephew wasn’t fond of his room. It always seemed to remind him of how empty the hotel was, and in turn, would remind him that their Morrigan was gone.   
Jupiter had decided to enter Jack’s room one day, and found him hunched over behind his small work desk. That was already alarming, since Jack cared about keeping his body straight so as not to have a hunchback.   
What was more intriguing, however, was that when Jack heard Jupiter come in, he stuffed the papers in a nearby desk drawer.   
I have to find out what’s written on those parchment papers, Jupiter thought. If I don’t I might go insane.  
While Jack took a walk around Nevermoor’s coastal parks, Jupiter staggered toward his door. He felt the brass, wooden door knob and clasped his hand around it tightly. Once he entered the room, he dived for every single drawer, be it opened or closed.

He couldn’t find it.

Jupiter called Jack to his office that night, his head in his hands. “Why are you like this?” He yelled. “Why are you making this so difficult?”  
“Because you’re the one making it difficult!” Jack screamed back. Tears shone brightly under his small eyes, and he looked as if he was about to fall apart.   
“You don’t get to expect me to open up, not after you’ve been doing just the opposite! I’m the one who’s been telling you to straighten up for Mog, but you haven’t done that. Now I’m the one having a crisis, and you’re ordering me to tell you everything like it’s no big deal”?  
Jupiter’s eyes widened. His chest flared with pain as his nephew’s words echoed throughout his mind. The room suddenly felt as hot as the Sun when he boosted up from his seat. It grew hotter when he opened the office door tightly, a grim look on his face.   
It grew hotter when he firmly asked Jack to leave the room, and it grew hotter when he yelled at him when he didn’t listen.  
Jupiter sat back down in his chair, his head aching. He started to feel something spill from his eyes, something wet. He placed his fingers on his cheeks, feeling cool water. He was crying. Why was he crying? Why the hell was he crying now?  
Jupiter balled his hands into large fists, pounding them onto his desk. His eyes grew even wetter.   
When are you coming back, he thought. He pictured Morrigan coming home from a long day’s work, eager to visit him and talk about...whatever. Now, that was all a distant memory. He was alone now, in this dusty, uncleaned room. Everyone outside this room became a blurry mess, a tangled combustion of thoughts that grew larger and larger.  
Morrigan would know what to do, he thought. Morrigan always knew what to do.

* * *

He felt it, Wunder. A gigantic mass of it. He looked out his window to see it soaring into the sky, shaped like a dragon. The wind it left in its wake shook the nearby leaves and plants. He smiled as he heard a distant round of whoops and hollers. Like a celebration before their inevitable end, he thought.   
His own Wunder began to rush out of him, crowding around the window. It gazed sharply at the Wunder dragon, as if it was a being it had never seen before.   
He calmly watched as it grew a deep red. He felt it yearning to be used in such a carefree, kind way. It felt determined to change its user.   
He smiled, his eyes glinting.   
It couldn’t get away that easily.


	13. Signs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's chapter 13! As you can tell, I won't be able to always do the 'once a week schedule'. I'll try tho, so don't worry! Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.

Something was wrong, very wrong. Jupiter could feel it in his gut as he crossed the open lane in front of him. He had been witnessing gray mists of foreshadowing war whenever he neared important parts of Nevermoor, like the Hotel Deucalion. It barrelled around corridors like fog, slowly creeping up on anyone that got too close.   
Things had gotten worse today, September 1st. The mist had gotten darker and colder, like the touch of an ice fairy. It swarmed around him at times, shaking furiously. What do you want, Jupiter felt like shouting. His head ached from hours of non-stop investigating. Morrigan had to be somewhere, he thought. She can’t just disappear.  
He ignored the mist and stepped into another Wundrous Society meeting. The crowd parted for him as walked toward his designated seat in the front of the room. He mustered a “Thank you”, before sitting beside Nancy Dawson, Hawthorne’s patron. She gave him a smile before turning away.

Just like him, she had lost her candidate so suddenly. A year after Unit 919’s disappearance, the two of them met up and decided to use their resources and start their own investigation(since the Stealth and Stink couldn’t do anything right). However, their leads lead them nowhere, and they were now back at square one.   
“Esteemed members of The Wundrous Society, a sultry voice boomed amidst the tangle of voices in the room. “I thank you all for coming to this meeting. Please be seated, all of you.”  
The voice belonged to Elder Quinn, one of the three elders on The Wundrous Society’s highest counsel. She sat in the middle of a small, but grand table with gold and read bearings. Elder Saga and Elder Wong seated themselves at her sides.   
A cold silence filled the once abundant room once the final society member had been seated. Jupiter could feel multiple eyes glancing at him, as well as the other Unit 919 patrons.   
Elder Wong spoke first. “Let us begin, shall we? Does anyone have and clues as to where our newest unit has been? Or, who could’ve possibly taken them?”  
Hands were raised, and conversations brewed. Some had found a lock of dark, black hair clinging to the top of a tree. It was small, likely from...that night.  
Others had looked over recently installed surveillance cameras. A projector had been rolled into the room, and projected a video onto a large board. Several people dressed in all black had been wandering the streets at night. One of them had been holding a map while pointing to a certain location, while others just nodded. It was a peculiar sight to say the least, but it showed no connection to the case of Unit 919’s disappearance.   
Jupiter started to feel antsy. He twiddled with his thumbs as yet another society member delivered yet another meaningless piece of ‘evidence’ to the elders.   
That was when he heard it. A laugh. A sickeningly fruitful laugh that covered all sides of the meeting room. It sounded like the type of laugh you would give after hearing the funniest joke in the world. Jupiter clenched his fists. But this meeting wasn’t a joke.   
“Can’t you all see that this is pointless?” The one who laughed asked after settling down. It was Baz Charlton, Cadence’s patron. “Those kids are obviously long gone by now. It’s been years, who knows what happened to them.”  
He clearly couldn’t read the mood of the patrons beside him, who had also lost their candidates.   
“For all we know, the could be-”  
Jupiter felt his head grow hot as he lunged onto Baz with tremendous force. He felt his nails dig into his palm, but it didn’t matter to him. Nothing mattered to him when he launched his fists onto his fellow society member’s face and chest. He felt his heartbeat racing as he clung onto his hair, pulling it harder and harder.   
“North!” Elder Saga yelled at the top of her lungs. “Jupiter North, cease and desist at once!”  
Jupiter felt his hand being pulled back and turned his head. It was Nan. He avoided another fight and simply stepped back. Baz was offered no help, unsurprisingly, and dusted off his clothes in anger.   
“How dare you!” He spouted, his hair clinging to his skin. “How dare you attack another member of this esteemed society when an entire unit is gone!”   
“I could say the same for you.” Offered Nancy. “You know full well how Jupiter feels right now and you decided to, what, add fuel to the fire?”

Baz continued to sputter nonsense as he was led out of the room by an annoyed Elder Wong. Jupiter’s body shook vigorously as he sat back down. 

“My...sincerest apology, Elders”.

Elder Saga sighed. “It’s quite alright, North. He had it coming, anyway.”

Jupiter smiled firmly, his breath still hot from the fight. 

The Wundrous Society continued to look over any potential evidence, including soft, black cat fur. Recently, it had been found everywhere in Nevermoor. By streets, on top of cars, under lampposts, etc. Jupiter, however, was feeling jittery. He didn’t see how cat fur could be related to the disappearance of his candidate.  
After disagreeing on pretty much every piece of evidence, the society fell quiet. They had found nothing, Jupiter thought angrily. Some brothers and sisters they were.

* * *

It had been four months since Morrigan had infiltrated the Archives for Project Nevermore. Four months of planning and monitoring the other Quills. Now, it was October.  
Morrigan collapsed on a couch cushion. A sweet aroma entered her flaring nostrils, causing her to sit up. Her head swerved to a stop at the kitchen, where Francis stood by the stove.   
“Fran?” Morrigan’s voice cracked. She rubbed her eyes, sleep crust falling at her side. Francis turned around, a small smile on his face. “Oh, Mog, didn’t see ya there.”   
He held a small cup in his hand as he greeted her. The tea’s steam balled together behind him, its scent growing stronger. Morrigan immediately bolted towards the kitchen, a hungry look on her face. 

She hadn’t eaten or drank anything in days! This could be evidently seen by the way her arms swayed slightly every time she moved.

Morrigan stood by the kitchen island, smiling eagerly. “Where’s the rest of the unit?” Francis asked as he poured tea into a cup. “Everybody’s probably enjoying their break time outside.” 

It was true. From time to time, The four smaller Quill groups received time to replenish their strength. Usually, that lasted for a few days, but this year, it had increased to a week and a half. No doubt to get enough rest for Project Nevermore.  
Most of the unit had a more...energetic way of resting. Thaddea, Hawthorne, Cadence, Mahir, and Lambeth had gone to explore more of Crow Quill with Sorenson. Archan, Anah, Francis, and Morrigan on the other hand, preferred to stay indoors. Albert was also included, of course.   
Speaking of Albert, the black cat had perched himself on top of The Raven’s silky, black hair. He was so camouflaged that the only discernible feature from him were his eyes, a shimmering shade of gold.   
“You want me to…?”Francis asked, gesturing towards Albert. Morrigan simply shook her head, too tired to respond.   
“He’s probably tired from his scouting missions.”  
For the past few months, Albert had been going out with a few unit members to get the layout of Nevermoor. This way, Crow Quill would know exactly where they needed to be. Right now, he was sulking.

“Does he still feel bad about leaving behind stray hairs?” Francis asked, a joking smile on his face. Morrigan simply nodded. She stroked the cat’s soft fur as he handed her a cup of tea.   
“It was all worth it in the end, though. Now we know where to place everybody.”  
Francis nodded in agreement, his mind seeming to wander to somewhere else. He stared deep into his tea, steam rising from the substance like smoke from a flame.   
“You wonder how our patrons and the society are taking this?” He asked the question so abruptly that Morrigan felt her shoulders stiffen. 

“Always.”

She knew the Wundrous Society had been launching their own investigation into the disappearance of their newest unit. They had been so concentrated on them that they postponed the trials for Unit 920.   
“Hey,” Francis said, his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t back out on me now.”  
Morrigan smiled. “Wasn’t planning to. We’ve still got a lot to do.”

* * *

Councilman Durian slammed his hand onto the table, his breath growing hot. He glared at the man seated across from him, who had his hands sitting firmly in his lap. He simply watched. His lips curled up into a satisfied grin. That only made the crazy man even angrier, it seemed.   
“Are you playing with me Squall?” He yelled at the top of his lungs. His shaggy beard swayed in an undignified manner, causing Ezra to cringe. 

“You know very well that Crow Quill is planning a rebellion, and yet here you are, doing absolutely nothing.”   
The two of them, and the ten others with them, were Eagle Quill, the most powerful Blood Quill faction. They were made of crooked politicians, once mighty royalty, and even powerful nobility. They had been planning Project Nevermore since Morrigan Crow had appeared on this Earth, and yet their leader was doing nothing to stop her meddling.  
“I agree wholeheartedly with Durian’s plight,” said Vanessa Golder, the princess of the kingdom of Catrum. Or, what was left of it. “This girl has trained with Wundersmiths of the past thanks to the dreaded Book of Ghostly Hours, and has even received training from one of the oldest Crow Quill members. If we don’t stop her now, she WILL defeat us and expose us to all the corners of this Earth.”  
“Please, Wundersmith Squall,” Durian pleaded once more. “This girl must be stopped.”  
The room grew silent as all eyes fell on the Wundersmith. His cold gaze caused the other Eagle Quill members to stiffen.  
“And, why, pray tell, should I?” He asked, the smile on his face growing weaker.   
The Eagle Quill members stared in shock. “What do you mean, ‘why should I’”? One of them yelled. He, Donavon Caleb, was a fallen aristocrat. “Our safety is on the line. If we let her go, we’ll all be caught and-”  
“AHAAAAHAHAHA”! Squall laughed. It was a sickening laugh that pierced through the coldness of the dank room, instead turning it red-hot. “Hahaaaahahah!”  
Durian growled. “Is this a joke to you, Mister Squall? Please enlighten us on why you think so.”  
Ezra wiped tears from his eyes. His throat still hurt from laughing too much, and his neck ached from leaning forward for too long. A chuckle still lingered.  
“It’s simply funny,” he started. “Why you said that we’ll ALL be caught.”  
Durian’s eyes widened. Oh, Ezra thought. He finally realized. 

“...You aren’t covering up our involvement”, Durian asked. “Are you?”

Ezra smiled once more. His eyes glinting with satisfaction as he watched the faces of Eagle Quill members scrunch up in horror. They now seemed to realize that they wouldn’t be kept safe. That they would be going to prison very soon.  
“Then I am done with this!” Donavon exclaimed. He stood up from his seat, his body shaking. “I will not sit here, waiting to be taken away.”  
Ezra tilted his head playfully. His brown hair tousled to the side. “You can’t back down NOW,” he said, in a manner of disbelief. “Or else, I’ll have to release your whereabouts sooner, rather than later. When you’ve had time to pack your things.”  
A slender woman seated at the foot of the table glared daggers at him. She was Countess Alista, a once proud noble. “You were never guaranteeing our safety in the very beginning”, she stated. “Were you?”

Ezra chuckled darkly. “Precisely.”

“You never did this for us!” Durian yelled. “All you want...is to fight The Raven.”  
He smiled. The Wunder inside him squirmed around like a fizzy beverage. 

“Bingo.”

Wunder erupted out of Squall like fireworks. It latched onto the Eagle Quill members, twisting around on their frail bodies. Some of them screamed, blood curdling screams. Others tried to break free, their loud grunts echoing throughout the large room.   
The Wunder had closed in on them like a rope. Durian and Donavon yelled pleading words, trying to convince Ezra to let them go. Obviously, that didn’t work.  
“It seems you all have fulfilled your purpose,” he said, a crooked smile on his face. “Or course, I can’t have you ruining anything, so I’ll have to make sure that you can’t move around.”  
Wails and screams pierced through the quiet like a knife. Bones could be heard cracking, along with the sound of rushing wind.   
The bodies of nobles, congressmen, and more fell to the floor like lumps of dirt. Blood stained the crystal floor, its putrid smell filling Ezra’s nostrils. 

They were still alive, of course. But just barely.

The Wundersmith snapped his thin fingers. More Wunder exited his body, filling the room. “Take their bodies to The Wundrous Society. Make sure they get a good look at this.”  
Ezra Squall briskly turned around, his shoes clacking beneath him as he left the meeting hall.   
He didn’t feel bad about what he did. After all, this was all part of his plan. 

He desperately wanted to see what his apprentice could accomplish.

* * *

Jack couldn’t stand gossip, but he made an exception for today. 

Apparently, a total of eleven bodies had been found at the foot of Proudfoot House. All of them were recognized, even though their bodies had been twisted and contorted. hey weren't outsiders, but they were enemies of Nevermoor.   
Jack cringed. Not even his uncle had been able to find anything with his Witness powers. They both knew something was there, but it was like there was an invisible veil covering the answer.

He didn’t like that.


	14. Little Raven

Late November brought cold gusts of wind to Crow Quill. Morrigan felt them breeze past her in the garden as she sipped warm milk tea. She was surrounded by bunches of leaves and grass, as well as bright, colorful flowers.   
Wunder lit up the afternoon sky like stars as it wiggled endlessly. She sighed to herself. Her body and head ached, as well as her mind. 

Preparations for Project Nevermore had been going smoothly, but they had begun to take a toll on her. It was now easy for her to become tired, and her naps became long and frequent. Her hair was losing its natural shine, and her shimmering black eyes were no longer glimmering in the Sun. Whenever she looked in the mirror now, she no longer saw Morrigan Crow. Instead, she saw her mother, Odelle Crow. She was a plain looking woman, with black hair and black eyes like her daughter. She, however, was like a statue. In every picture Morrigan had ever seen of her mother, she was stone faced. A plain expression rested on her face. Not a single hair was out of place.  
She was the ideal aristocrat. She was Morrigan’s role model. Until she looked in the mirror.  
This was why the garden had become her favorite place. She never had to worry about anything in here. She could simply sit and bask in the world around her.   
Her peaceful aura, however, soon came to an end.

“Raven?” Al called in his small, raspy voice. The black cat gracefully filed into the garden, Sorenson trailing behind him. He energetically leaped onto the coffee table in front of her, causing it to wobble.  
“Ugh,” Sorenson groaned. “I’m so sorry Ms. Morrigan, Al’s got a bad habit of being clingy to people he favors.”  
Morrigan smiled. She set her cup down and rubbed Albert’s fuzzy chin. “It’s fine, I needed a distraction anyway.”  
“My master is such a worry wart,” Al teased. He sat down on the table, his tail circling his small body. It rested on his forearm as spoke. “He’s usually so carefree.”  
Morrigan nodded in understanding. She could never expect Sorenson to laugh though. After all, being related to Ezra Squall can’t be easy. It was already hard enough having something in common with him.   
“We’ve been keeping an eye on Eagle Quill”, he stated. “If they knew we were on to them, we’d know.”  
Morrigan wasn’t so sure about that. After all, Ezra Squall had a vast knowledge of all things ‘Morrigan Crow’ related. It seemed he was enamored by her for some reason.  
“And the Crow Quill? How are they doing?” She desperately needed to distract herself. Sitting around wasn’t doing her any good.  
“They’re doing fine, Ms. Morrigan”, Sorenson answered. “They’ve been preparing for so long, after all.”  
Morrigan nodded immediately. Her tired eyes closed abruptly as strokes of wind passed by her. Her long hair flew upward, tiny leaves glued to them.   
“Oh dear,” Sorenson exclaimed. “That won’t do.” He carefully latched onto each leaf, slowly pulling them off with his delicate hands.   
Morrigan smiled. “What exactly would our group do without you?” She asked aloud.  
Sorenson gave her a worried look. “I mean it. We felt pretty alone without any adults helping us out. Sure, we had Vigil, Malet, and the other members of Crow Quill. But, no one truly knew why we were here. No one really…”. She felt her voice trail off, not knowing what to say next.   
Sorenson nodded in understanding. “I know.” He patted her head, a smile on his face. “I know.”  
Morrigan groaned internally. She was going to be eighteen soon, and yet she still acted like a child.  
“Is the place where we’re going to keep Nevermoor’s citizens ready?” She asked. Her heart skipped a beat whenever she thought about where to place everybody. It had to be somewhere with high levels of safety. And food. And water. And-  
“Ms. Morrigan”, Sorenson interrupted. He smiled coyly. “We’ve got a large residence right in the far hillsides. There’s plenty of food and water stored there.”  
Morrigan nodded in understanding. She felt Al smoosh his cheek against hers out of comfort.   
Sorenson smiled. “You know, Ms. Morrigan”, he said. “Before I met you and your unit, I was all alone. I walked in my brother’s monstrous shadow, wanting nothing to do with him. You all made me realize that wallowing in my self pity wasn’t going to stop his tyranny.”  
He looked Morrigan in the eye, with no words between them. “I think what I’m trying to say is thank you. Thank you for making me feel comfortable in my own skin.”  
Morrigan felt her lips grow wide. Before she even realized it, she was smiling. Not just any smile, but a bright, bold smile. She felt like she could take on the world!  
“It’s really no problem, Sorenson. And, I told you. Call me Morrigan.”

* * *

It’s fine. It's fine. Everything is fine. Handy dandy. Just great.

At least, that was what Jack WANTED to believe.

He sat at his desk, staring blankly at a piece of parchment. A map of Nevermoor, to be exact. Ink lines were scribbled along the paper, each street labelled accordingly.   
Jack rubbed his forehead. He cringed at the sudden pain he was receiving. He glanced at his calendar. It’s almost December, he thought. It was almost time. A lump formed in his throat at the thought of having to explain to Jupiter just what was going on. Not even a Witness could be able to see the paths of deception that Unit 919 and Jack had crossed. And not even Jupiter had been able to discover what really happened that one night.

Jack rolled up the map and placed it in a nearby drawer. A bell sounded throughout the hotel right after, alerting the guests that dinner was ready. He stood up straight, stretching his arms and legs. The smell of beef wafted into the room, stretching across all parts of the hotel. He smiled, despite his previous thoughts. Maybe i’ll feel better after dinner, he thought. 

Jack grumbled. He didn’t feel like eating. Not when the future seemed so unclear now.   
He felt a light buzz in his right ear, like crinkled paper. He smiled. He heard Morrigan’s voice fill his ear. She seemed tired...

“Afternoon.”  
“Hey. How’ve you been?”  
He heard her groan lightly before letting out a small chuckle. He smiled despite himself.   
“Not good, I’m guessing.”  
Morrigan sighed. “I just called to ask if you were finished with the comms.”

Jack glanced at the drawer closest to him. He grasped the handle and opened it, holding his breath despite knowing what was in there. A box sat inside, filled to the brim with communication devices wired to the same frequency.  
“All of them are ready for use.”  
He heard Morrigan yelp in delight. “You’re the best, J!” “I try”, he replied. When do you need them?”  
“Any time”, she inquired. “We’ve gotta get Crow Quill used to these things.”

Jack agreed. He knew what she was going to ask next. He just didn’t want to say anything.

“How’s Jupiter?”

* * *

Ezra Squall was a patient man. He watched every clock in sight as minutes ticked by. He drummed his fingernails along his wooden desk, feeling his neck turn cold from the excitement.   
Wunder danced around him. It reshaped his room every few minutes, turning it from a small corner, to a large garden. He felt it shake out of fear. Fear that he relished in.  
He glanced outside his window, looking out at the ebony night that covered the sky. December had passed in a tight blur. It was the evening of the 30th now, and Eagle Quill was now abuzz with excitement. Or, what was left of it.   
Ezra felt the room grow still. The clocks beside him grew louder as their hands moved from number to number, marking each minute.   
In a few hours, it would finally be time for him to see what Morrigan Crow had accomplished.   
Ezra stood up from his seat and walked across his study. He grazed his fingertips against the seams of book covers, and dangled his hand against a nearby windowsill.   
Ever since he massacred the Eagle Quill, everything was much more quiet. He could finally hear the sweet chirping of small birds. He could feel cold winds as they brushed past his face. He rubbed his forehead as the breeze stung the small scar that laid atop his eyebrow.   
Everything will be different now, he thought. I won’t have to stay cooped up in this small room. I can finally go out into my beautiful city. I’ll be able to sit atop a skyscraper with no worries whatsoever! I can stay at a hotel without going by Gossamer.   
Ezra grinned as a thought crossed his mind. I can even pay a visit to my beloved Wundrous Society.

He smiled as a large, golden clock beside him struck twelve. He couldn’t feel the cold anymore. He couldn’t feel anything but pure excitement.


	15. New Years Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one way to celebrate New Years Eve, isn't it? -__-

“Now!” Morrigan called from inside a tall tree. She watched as ten Crow Quill members, including Hawthorne, emerged from a cluster of small bushes. Each of them latched onto the dragons’ tails as they lifted themselves above the ground. They raced up the large thing as it swung from side to side. Gripping the scales, they were finally able to reach the neck of each dragon.   
Hawthorne attacked one of the dragonriders with a swift kick of his leg. The rider began to topple over to the side, gripping the outer scales as tightly as he could.   
Morrigan groaned. With endless Wunder surrounding her, she could see the predicament before her, as if she were there herself. She tapped her com and whispered, “Do it, it’s not that high.”  
Immediately after those words, Hawthorne grabbed at the dragon’s reigns. With swift movements, he managed to shake off the dragonrider. The nine other Crow Quill members performed this simultaneously.   
Morrigan smiled despite breathing in musty air. Although it was New Years Eve today, it smelled of the Auburn sun, and tasted like winter’s snow. A light breeze was in the air as the now fully equipped Crow Quill Airforce was in the air. Six other dragons and dragonriders joined them, and slowly started to create the same formation as the drawing:six dragons in, ten dragons out.  
Morrigan quickly dove down the tree, barely making it to solid ground in one piece. She heaved herself off the dirt filled floor and tapped her com once more. Now with much freer range, the Crow Quill members had also been given comms.   
A loud Briiiiiiiing! filled Morrigan’s ears as her communication device lit up. “It’s almost time for the soldier teams to head out”, Cadence spoke in a hushed whisper. “You comin’ aboard the battleship, or what?”   
Morrigan smiled, feeling an invisible boulder slide off her broad shoulders. She was coming back to Nevermoor. 

Morrigan slid beneath two Owl Quill soldiers and nestled herself between Cadence and Lambeth. Both clutched their mallets tightly. Morrigan peared around the corner at a gaggle of other Crow Quill members. Mallet winked at her while holding his namesake with pride. Hedgewig smiled brightly while holding his. Vigil, of course, was too ‘hectic’ for mere soldier work. She was one of the dragonriders.   
“I’ve got goosebumps all over”, Cadence whispered. Morrigan felt queasy, despite resting for a full twelve hours last night.   
“Is everything set?” She whispered into her com. Static crinkled like foil in her ear. “All good on my end,” Jack’s distorted voice whispered. “All Crow Quill members have been equipped with communication devices. Everyone’s in their desired locations. Nevermoor’s definitely gonna be in for a surprise.”  
Morrigan could hear his nervousness from a mile away. He was obviously tense. Though, she couldn’t blame them. Her hands trembled while she held her own malet. Her fingernails drummed along the weapon’s surface at high speed.   
“Good”, she commented. “Make sure it stays that way. I’m praying that we have no setbacks for a day like today.”  
“Roger that. I gotta go now.” Jack told this before signing off. Morrigan heard a few shouts of glee, as well as the clinking of glass before static returned to her ears.   
It sounded like they’re having fun, she thought.   
Suddenly, Morrigan felt her feet slip across the ship’s floor. She clung to Cadence’s arm as the air around her swooped from side to side.   
Lambeth sighed. “You should hold on tightly”.   
Morrigan didn’t comment. Lambeth was never wrong in her predictions, after all.   
Immediately, the battleship zoomed into the clear, blue sky. Gusts of wind filled the room as the back door slowly closed shut. Whoops and cheers erupted from the mouths of Blood Quill shoulders. Some of them jumped high into the air, while others hung back.   
Morrigan could feel the eyes of the Crow Quill soldiers that had also snuck on board. She could feel their fear, their excitement, and their nervousness.   
She sucked in a breath, and pretended to cheer.

* * *

Jack looked into the sky. Nothing.

He looked again, not even two minutes later. Nothing.

He looked four minutes later. Nothing.

There really was no point to this, he thought. The sky had grown dreary overnight. The leaves and plants beside him dropped slightly to the side. Dim street light lamps flickered on and off every few seconds.   
Jack was in a vulnerable state. His heart thumped in his chest like he was being punched. Every sound caused him to jolt from his seat. Things had gotten worse when he checked back in with Morrigan and found out that the infamous battleship was leaving the ground.   
Out of the corner of Jack’s eye, he spotted dazzling lights being hung up across a building. A rainbow of color filled his line of vision, an intense light covering the cobblestone walkway beside him. Merchant shops lined the roads, each with desirable items, such as food, clothing, and toys.   
The most noteworthy sight to see, however, were the smiles. Those smiles flashed across every face in Nevermoor. Everyone was excited, Jack thought. Everyone was happy.   
Of course, that didn’t last long.   
Through the corner of his eye, Jack could see the outline of a large, black mass. It was faint, with misty clouds surrounding it on all sides, but he could see it, clear as day. It loomed over tall skyscrapers, wind rushing from behind it.  
The battleship was here, which meant the dragons weren’t far behind.   
As if Jack’s thoughts had brought them here, A group of large dragons erupted from behind the ship. As Unit 919 had said, there were sixteen of them, with ten big dragons surrounding six smaller ones.   
As the clouds parted, passerby began to notice strange shapes in the sky. Their eyes widened as they gaped at the peculiar sight. Jack noticed, however, that they weren’t scared. Mostly, they were confused. Some adults scratched their heads, trying to make sense of the situation. Children pointed and laughed at the dragons as if they were performing in a circus!

...Until one of the smaller dragons breathed fire. 

Screams erupted from downtown Nevermoor. Citizens ran in panic as fire blazed through concrete walls. Its orange light illuminated the darkest corners of the city.   
Jack wasn’t fazed, however. Like Morrigan had told him over the com, this was just a warning. The real objective of the Blood Quill group... was to create their base in Courage Square. 

* * *

Jupiter watched the first shots of dragon fire from his seat in his personal office. His tired eyes scanned the destruction, looking for Jack.  
He said he was going to complete some errands, Jupiter thought. But… I don’t remember giving him anything to do.

* * *

Morrigan stumbled back a bit before resetting herself between Cadence and Lambeth. She cringed as a small dragon set fire to an entire road. The fact that this was nothing but a warning chilled her to the bone.   
As the ship passed a group of clouds, Lambeth informed her in a hushed voice, “Al and Sorenson are here somewhere”.  
She smiled gratefully at her friend’s words. She had been so busy yesterday that she, Al and Sorenosn hadn’t been able to talk properly. 

“Thank-”

“Everyone, get ready!” A voice boomed over the ship’s loudspeaker as if it came from a giant. Morrigan’s eardrums rang loudly, piercing through the commotion. She felt Cadence grab her shoulder lightly.   
“It’ll be fine”, she said. Morrigan nodded in understanding, although she doubted that her unit would get out of this mess unscathed.   
A loud thunk sounded from the outside, and Morrigan looked at the window beside her. No more clouds.   
They had reached Courage Square. 

* * *

Jack could barely breathe. After running like his life depended on it(because it does), he had finally reached Courage Square. Lights had been strewn from lamp to lamp, and concession stands were squished to the ground, right beneath the Blood Quills battleship.   
Jack held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. As soon as he did so, the front of the large ship sprung open. Soldiers spilled from its depths, filling the entire square. Jack squinted, looking for any Crow Quill member. He wasn’t able to spot their bodies, but he was able to spot their signature weapon. A malet.   
The other sides of the ship had begun to open, letting loose a bunch of Owl Quill members. In groups, they swiftly carried out silver cages.  
Jack cringed back in his hiding space. He hadn’t expected those cages to look so...menacing. 

* * *

Morrigan walked with her own small group(her, a Woodpecker Quill member, and an Owl Quill member) into Downtown Nevermoor. The streets had become isolated, with most of the residents hiding in shops. 

CRASH!

Morrigan swerved to the side as one Woodpecker Quill member bashed his bat into a store window. Screams erupted from inside the shop as the member grabbed onto one of the residents, a little girl. Morrigan clenched her weapon tightly, her face twisted with disgust.   
She lept toward the Woodpecker Quill member with all her might, swerving to a stop in front of him. The member had clearly been caught off guard, and began to stumble back, with the Nevermoorian in his hands falling with him. Morrigan grabbed onto the girl’s shirt collar, pulling her back so she was behind her. With swift motions, she swung her malet towards him. Her weapon had hit the side of his chest, a loud crack sounding immediately after.   
The Woodpecker Quill member tumbled to the ground in shock. Clutching his chest with his hands. Morrigan ushered the girl back inside the shop, and looked forward at the Owl Quill member who was with her. 

She was definitely not happy.   
“TRAITOOOOOORRRR!” 

“Duck!” Morrigan ducked low to the ground, with the Nevermoorians in the shop following in suit. A bullet swung past her and the people inside the shop, colliding with the shop’s back wall. The wall toppled to the ground, bricks smashing into the floor.   
“You all have to run into another building and wait for me!” Morrigan yelled. “I’ve got a plan, so please, I’m begging you. Trust me!”  
She didn’t have time to check if they had followed her orders though, because just then, she heard the Quill member cock her gun towards her. 

* * *

Jack had refused every call that Jupiter had given him. He’d find an excuse when they left Nevermoor, anyway.   
He had also been in communication with the Crow Quill. Apparently they all had found at least one Nevermoor citizen. The plan was that, when everyone checked in, that would be a sort of signal for the ten Crow Quill members in the sky to turn on the six, small dragons that they surrounded.   
Everyone had checked in, except Morrigan.

“Come on, Raven,” he whispered aloud. “You have to be safe!”

* * *

Morrigan dodged the bullet within seconds, the back of her mouth growing chapped. The Owl Quill member groaned in frustration, holding her gun tighter to her side. That was her first mistake.   
Morrigan charged toward her, holding her malet in a position where the top of it was facing forward. Immediately, the surface of the weapon hit both of her shoulders, causing them to go numb. She swayed from side to side before crashing into the ground.  
Morrigan quickly grabbed the gun and stuffed it into a duffel bag she had brought with her. She scanned her surroundings, her breath growing dull. 

Her eyes widened when she saw the group of people she saved. With a smile now plastered on her face, she turned on her com. “I’m set.”


End file.
